Dr Who sees off Geordie duo in TV ratings war
DOCTOR Who exterminated Ant and Dec in the weekend's big telly ratings showdown.
Some 9.9million saw the Time-lord's return to BBC1 on Saturday. But Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, the bookies' favourite, attracted just 7.2million on ITV1 despite featuring David Beckham and pop diva Mariah Carey.
The new Dr Who series, starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, drew more than two in five of all
viewers. The BBC said: "Obviously we're pleased so many people sat down as a family to watch."
ITV insisted: "Ant & Dec's 7.2million audience was up on their show last Easter Saturday, which got 7.lmillion, so we've no complaints."
Caption: 7.2m Ant and Dec were zapped
Caption: 9.9m Chris & Billie are light years ahead
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