Little Britain's a ratings smash

Yeah, I know

The new series of Little Britain has smashed BBC3’s ratings record.

Matt Lucas and David Walliams attracted 1.8 million viewers to the digital station for last night’s first episode, according to overnight figures.

That’s almost 40 per cent higher than the channel’s previous record of 1.3 million – for an episode of EastEnders that premiered on BBC3 just after it launched.

A government-backed report earlier this week criticized BBC3 for focusing too narrowly its target age range of 25 to 34-year-olds, at the expense of bigger audiences.

But the news will help the corporation prove it can deliver good ratings, too.

In homes with digital TV, Little Britain was second only to ITV1’s live coverage of Manchester United's Champions League clash with Sparta Prague in the ratings.

Published: 20 Oct 2004

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