SINGER Daniel O'Donnell and his wife Majella's new reality show has beaten the might of EastEnders in the battle for television viewers.
Daniel and Majella's B&B Road Trip was the most watched programme in Northern Ireland in its timeslot on Monday night, claiming a third of the viewing audience.
A peak of 197,000 viewers tuned in for the second episode of the UTV show compared with 191,000 for EastEnders on BBC One NI.
The average figures across the programmes were closer, but again Daniel and Majella pipped the long-running soap.
An average of 181,000 viewers watched Daniel and Majella's show while 180,000 opted for EastEnders.
The latest viewing figures follow strong ratings for the B&B series on its debut last week.
An average of 192,000 viewers tuned in on UTV and 322,000 on UTV Ireland – more than half a million across the island of Ireland.
The six-part series, broadcast on Mondays at 8pm, follows Daniel and Majella as they travel across the island staying in B&Bs and enjoying activities organised by their hosts.
Speaking about their B&B hosts throughout the show, Daniel said: "As well as it being a business for them, I think their heart and soul is in it. They're really passionate and they want to make the stay for those people that are there, as good as it can be.
"For me, who would travel outside Ireland a lot, that’s a lovely thing. I certainly would have no qualms about recommending them. The enthusiasm and the interest they have in what they do is terrific."
Daniel's latest TV appearance follows his departure from the hugely successful BBC show Strictly Come Dancing, which has been bringing in more than nine millions viewers in its Saturday night slot.
ITV rival The X-Factor drew an average of just 5.6 million viewers last Saturday, its lowest audience since its first ever episode in 2004.
