Long-running hit Silent Witness triumphed in a head-to-head clash of the crime dramas last night as it edged ahead of Broadchurch, according to overnight ratings.
The BBC1 forensic pathology programme - starring Emilia Fox - pulled in an average audience of 5.9 million viewers, while the ITV programme managed 5.7 million, which included viewers of its catch-up +1 channel.
Broadchurch, which was was one of the TV hits of 2013 for its first series, had been the winner when the two shows were screened at the same time a week earlier.
Last week Broadchurch, which stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman, had pulled in 6.1 million, which put it 600,000 ahead.
Last night was the lowest ever audience for Broadchurch.
The first series debuted with an audience of 6.8 million in March 2013, with 8.7 million watching its finale the following month.
The second series has seen its audience decline by 1.9 million from the 7.6 million who watched the opening episode earlier this month.
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