The first episode attracted a 5.9% share of the audience in the 9pm slot, compared with the slot average of 4.4%, according to unofficial overnight figures.
It also rated highly with the prized 16- to 34-year-old demographic, with 6.7% of total viewers, compared with a slot average of 4.1%.
Channel 4 scored a ratings hit with the documentary 'Stephen Hawking: Master of the Universe', which pulled in 1.9m viewers and a 7.8% share at 9pm -- almost 500,000 viewers above the slot average for the channel.
Including Channel 4+1, the programme was watched by 2.1m viewers and an 8.8% share.
The documentary picks up with Hawking 20 years after his seminal book 'A Brief History of Time' captured the world's attention with its attempt to explain complex theories such as the Big Bang, black holes and light cones.
In the programme, Hawking explained that the "ultimate theory" he had believed to be imminent, which would conclusively explain the origins of life, the universe and everything, remains frustratingly elusive.
ITV will be breathing a sigh of relief that their Monday night flop 'The Palace' has finished its disappointing run.
The final episode drew 3.3m viewers and a 14% share at 9pm, down 23% on its launch episode, which brought 4.2m viewers.
'The Palace', a contemporary drama about a fictional British royal family, averaged 3.3m viewers across the entire series, well below ITV's Monday night slot average at 9pm of 5.6m.
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