ITV1 secured 4.1m viewers at 9pm-10pm for a documentary on the investigation of the murder of Nickell in 1992.
'Rachel Nickell - Case Closed: Real Crime' traced the history of the case which included wrongful conviction of Colin Stagg and the eventual conviction of the real killer Robert Napper.
Just over 19% of the audience watched the programme, compared to the 16.1% share for 'Waking the Dead' on BBC One.
BBC Two earned third place at 9pm-10pm with 2m viewers and a 9.2% share for 'The Supersizers Eat ... Medieval', featuring Giles Coren and Sue Perkins sampling the cuisine of Norman times.
Five brought in 1.3m viewers, a 5.9% share, with 'Build a New Life in the Country', while Channel 4 managed 863,000 viewers (3.9%) with 'The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies'. Another 68,000 watched on Channel 4+1.
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