Strictly beats X Factor in head to head ratings

Strictly beats X Factor in head to head ratings (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Strictly Come Dancing came out on top in the battle for Saturday night viewers when the BBC One show went head-to-head with ITV1's The X Factor. Overnight figures showed the ballroom dancing show had 9.6 million viewers when it finished at 8.15pm, while The X Factor, which was 30 minutes into the show at that point, had 8.8 million. A source close to The X Factor supremo Simon Cowell said he was 'happy' with the show, which enjoyed a higher peak audience than its BBC rival. The source said: "He has deliberately left the UK show to run without him and he absolutely trusts the team to do a great job. Simon is very happy with how they are all doing and thinks all the judges are doing a fantastic job too." A BBC spokesman said programme-makers were 'delighted' with the viewing figures for Strictly. He said: "It is great that more and more viewers keep tuning in to enjoy what is turning out to be a fantastic series." A spokesman for ITV said The X Factor had a peak audience of 11.9 million on Saturday night. He said: "The X Factor continued to be the UK's most-watched entertainment show and ITV1 was the most popular channel across peak time." Sunday's results show, which saw boyband Nu Vibe booted off, had a peak audience of 13.5 million.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.