The series kicked off by taking viewers a year on from the last series to find out what had happened in the troubled love lives of Katie, Trudi, Siobhan and Jessica, played by Sarah Parish, Sharon Small, Orla Brady and Shelley Conn.
It comfortably won the prime time slot with 4.8m viewers and a 21% share of the 9pm-10pm audience.
Five's 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', which last night saw Gil Grissom having to win the trust of a Korean boy who lost his mother and uncle in a shooting, came in second with 3m viewers and a 13% share of the audience.
The second part of ITV1's 'In the Line of Fire' documentary, which revealed the tactics CO19 officers use when confronting suspected armed criminals, pulled in 2.9m viewers and a 13% share.
Channel 4's 'Boys and Girls Alone' series, following 10 boys and 10 girls given the chance to live without their parents for a fortnight, attracted 2m viewers and a 9% share, including Channel 4+1 figures.
Last night's instalment showed the children facing a two-day camping trip in the great outdoors, with the cooking proving a particular challenge for the boys.
BBC Two documentary 'Horizon: Can We Make a Star on Earth?', featuring footage shot from inside a fusion reactor, netted 1.9m viewers and an 8% share.
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