Entertainment

Strictly dominates the ratings with Halloween special

The X Factor’s second week of live shows lagged behind the BBC special.
The X Factor’s second week of live shows lagged behind the BBC special. The X Factor’s second week of live shows lagged behind the BBC special.

Strictly Come Dancing dominated the ratings with its Halloween special as The X Factor achieved only a third of the BBC show’s audience.

More than 10 million viewers tuned in to watch eerily-costumed dancers on Saturday night as Faye Tozer and Ashley Roberts surged to the top of the leaderboard.

The BBC show achieved a peak audience of 10.8 million, and an average of 9.8 million viewers, the broadcaster said. It was the most-watched show across all channels with 49% of the audience share.

Judges marvelled at Roberts’ and Pasha Kovalev’s Charleston, which saw them achieve a score of 39. The same points were award for Tozer and Giovanni Pernice’s theatre and jazz performance.

According to ITV, The X Factor averaged 3.9 million viewers with the second week of live shows, with a peak of 4.4 million viewers tuning in for the guilty pleasures theme.

Robbie Williams and wife Ayda Field criticised each other in a series of mocking marital spats, with Field telling her flamboyantly-dressed husband: “Stick to your leopard print and count your chest hair.”

Both shows have suffered a slight dip in ratings from last week, when the X Factor pulled in a peak of 5.1 million for the first set of live performances, and averaged 4.3 million viewers.

Strictly drew in an average of 9.9 million viewers, with viewership peaking at 11 million, according to the overnight ratings.

The Strictly Come Dancing results show is on BBC One at 7.45pm while The X Factor live shows continue on ITV at 8pm.