'Taggart', which was first broadcast in 1983 and follows hard-bitten Glaswegian detectives, pulled in a 20.2% share of the audience, according to unofficial overnight figures.
The second instalment of 'Mistresses', in the same 9pm-10pm slot, attracted 4.8m viewers and a 19.9% share.
The second outing of ITV1's revived 'News at Ten' format with veteran news presenter Sir Trevor McDonald pulled in 3.5m viewers in its 30-minute slot, with the BBC's flagship news programme again comfortably winning the battle.
'BBC News' was watched by 4.5m viewers and a 21.4% share of the audience.
The previous evening saw 'News at Ten' pull in 3.8m viewers to its BBC counterpart's 4.9m.
Elsewhere, the new series of acclaimed drama 'Shameless' continues to perform well for Channel 4.
The third instalment of a 16-part series drew 2.4m viewers and a 12.9% share between 10pm-11pm. Including the Channel 4+1 audience, 'Shameless' earned 2.6m viewers.
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