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ITV1, which had heavily promoted both the return of the 10pm programme and that of newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, will be disappointed by the reaction, as it pulled in 3.8m viewers compared to the BBC's 4.9m, according to unofficial overnight figures.

'News at Ten' was watched by 18.2% of the audience while BBC One's own programme, which shares the name, was watched by 25.9%. The BBC took up the 'News at Ten' mantle when ITV first cancelled its long-running news programme in 1999.

The 9-10pm slot performances compounded the problems for ITV1, as its racy new drama 'The Palace' was roundly beaten by BBC One traffic police documentary 'Motorway Cops'.

'The Palace', which depicts the intrigues in a fictional royal family, brought in 4.3m viewers and a 17.4% share, while BBC One enjoyed 6.3m viewers and a 25.9% share. The ITV1 programme started strongly but lost viewers, while the opposite was the case for 'Motorway Cops'. In The Palace, the death of the King leaves a young party-loving prince on the throne, contending with the rivalry of his older sister and younger brother.

In the same slot Channel 4 came third with 2.7m viewers and a 12.3% share for its new five-part historical crime drama set in Georgian England, 'City of Vice'. Including Channel 4 + 1's ratings, the programme earned 2.8m viewers.

Channel 4 beat BBC Two's sci-fi movie 'Signs', which brought in 2.1m and an 8.9% share, and Five's Jean Claude van Damme feature 'Derailed', watched by 1m and taking a 4.3% share.