The first episode of the much-publicised 'Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones', in which the comedian explores Britain's watercourses, earned BBC1 a 20% share of total audience in the 9pm-10pm slot, with 4.7m viewers.
The documentary, which included extensive shots of the Scottish countryside and waterways, narrowly beat BBC2's 'On Thin Ice', the story of Ben Fogle, James Cracknell and Ed Coats' trek across the Antarctic.
The fifth and final episode, which saw the trio reach the South Pole, clocked up 3.5m viewers, a 15% share of the audience.
However, ITV failed to make an impact with its one-off 90 minute drama 'Whatever It Takes', starring Shane Ritchie as a sleazy agent to a police officer-turned-glamour model.
Written by Paula Milne this cautionary tale of modern celebrity was not helped by a number of poor reviews ahead of its Sunday night release. It managed 2.7m and 12% at 9pm-10.30pm.
Meanwhile on Channel 4 'Big Brother' brought in 2m viewers and a 9% share, with an extra 228,000 people tuning in to the Channel 4+1 show an hour later.
The reality show's viewing figures were only just short of those for Five's action thriller 'Pistol Whipped', which attracted 1.6m viewers -- 8% of the audience share.
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