C4's Rude Tube beats new ITV dramas with 2.5m viewers

LONDON - Channel 4's new internet clips show 'Rude Tube' debuted with a 2.5m viewers during Friday's primetime slot, beating 'Moving Wallpaper' and 'Echo Beach', ITV1's heavily promoted paired dramas.

'Rude Tube', in which Alex Zane presented a one-off countdown of the 50 funniest, rudest and most bizarre video clips to take the internet by storm, attracted a 10.8% share of the audience between 9-10pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.

Including Channel 4+1's time-shifted audience, the show brought 2.8m viewers and a 12.2% share.

'Moving Wallpaper', the satirical drama about the making of 'Echo Beach', was watched by 2.4m viewers and a 10.2% share at 9pm.

It was followed by 'Echo Beach' at 9.30pm, with 1.9m viewers and an 8.3% share. The two programmes are part of ITV's new slate of upmarket dramas, which are designed to woo middle-class audience back to the commercial broadcaster.

However, with audiences of below 3m viewers for 'Moving Wallpaper' and 'Echo Beach', and Monday night drama 'The Palace', also struggling to hold onto viewers, ITV executive Michael Grade is facing pressure over the performance of some of the broadcaster's new shows.

This year's schedule has been marked as the first test of Grade's impact on ITV since his arrival just over a year ago.

On Saturday night, ITV welcomed back ratings banker 'Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'.

The first of a six-part series did the business, with 6m viewers and a 25.5% share between 8.15pm and 9.30pm.

It was not enough to beat the final of BBC One's 'The One and Only', in which Graham Norton leads a search to find the UK's best tribute act. It drew 6.4m viewers and a 28.1% share between 9.40pm-10.10pm.

Earlier in the day, BBC One's live FA Cup coverage of Arsenal's 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Manchester United brought an impressive 7.5m viewers and a 38% share between 5.05pm-7.30pm.

The match took share from ITV1's 'Harry Hill's TV Burp', the TV clips show which has been doing unexpectedly well of late.

Last week's TV Burp pulled in 6.7m viewers, but this week's installment could only manage 4.8m viewers and a 20.9% at 6.45pm.

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