Despite the new series returning with two-fifths of the lead cast missing from the last series -- Marc Warren and Jaime Murray - the first instalment of a six-part series captured a 23.2% share of the audience between 9pm-10pm.
The latest instalment of 'Celebrity Big Brother', which saw US rapper Coolio emerge as the pantomime villain among the housemates, brought Channel 4 2.8m viewers and an 11.2% share of the audience in the same slot.
Including ratings on Channel 4+1, 'CBB' had 3m viewers.
BBC Two's 'Victorian Farm' launched with a solid 2.9m viewers and an 11.7% share of the audience between 9pm-10pm.
The series, which will span six episodes, features a group of historians re-creating the daily life of the Victorian farmer on a Shropshire estate, where time appears to have frozen.
ITV1's 'Total Emergency', yet another documentary series about police chases and rescues, was watched by 3.2m viewers and a 15.5% share of the audience in the prime time slot.
Five aired a 1984 Clint Eastwood thriller called 'Tightrope', which had 890,000 viewers and a 4.7% share of the audience between 9pm-11.20pm.
The second series of highly acclaimed US crime drama 'Dexter' debuted on ITV1 with a more than respectable 1.2m viewers and a 9.6% share of the audience between 10.35pm-11.40pm.
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