Great British Bake Off dominates in TV ratings battle


More than three-quarters of the top 40 most-watched programmes so far in 2016 were broadcast by BBC1.
This includes the Bake Off final, which is at No 1 in the chart with 16 million viewers.


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Hide AdA total of 31 of the top 40 were broadcast by BBC1, and just nine on ITV. Last year the split was 28 for BBC1 and 12 for ITV.
The chart has been compiled from data produced by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb).
Every episode of this year's The Great British Bake Off is on the list, with nine inside the top 10.
All but one episode of the blockbuster natural history series Planet Earth II is in the top 40, with the highest episode coming eighth in the chart with 13.1 million viewers.


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Hide AdBBC1's coverage of the Euro 2016 final also makes the list, as does the one-off episode of Sherlock shown on New Year's Day.
But it is Strictly Come Dancing that dominates the chart, appearing a total of 13 times.
ITV's highest entry is the first episode of this year's series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which is at number 12 with 12.7 million viewers.
Britain's Got Talent appears five times in the chart - but for the second year in a row The X Factor has failed to make the top 40.
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Hide AdHere is the top 40 highest-rated TV programmes of 2016 so far.
1. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, October 26): 15.90m
2. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, August 24): 13.58m
3. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, August 31): 13.45m
= The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, October 5): 13.45m
5. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, October 19): 13.44m
6. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, September 14): 13.29m
7. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, October 12): 13.26m
8. Planet Earth II (BBC1, November 13): 13.14m
9. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, September 28): 13.13m
10. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, September 21): 13.12m
11. The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, September 7): 13.08m
12. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (ITV, November 13): 12.66m
13. Britain's Got Talent (ITV, April 16): 12.46m
14. Britain's Got Talent (ITV, April 23): 12.32m
15. Euro 2016: Portugal v France (BBC1, July 10): 12.27m
16. Planet Earth II (BBC1, November 6): 12.26m
17. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, November 19): 12.24m
18. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (ITV, December 4): 11.96m
19. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, December 3): 11.92m
20. Euro 2016: Wales v Belgium post-match (BBC1, July 1): 11.89m
21. Planet Earth II (BBC1, November 27): 11.88m
22. Britain's Got Talent (ITV, April 30): 11.87m
23. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, November 26): 11.65m
24. Sherlock (BBC1, January 1): 11.64m
25. Planet Earth II (BBC1, November 20): 11.60m
26. Britain's Got Talent (ITV: April 9): 11.59m
27. Planet Earth II (BBC1, December 4): 11.54m
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Hide Ad28. Strictly Come Dancing: the results (BBC1, December 11): 11.46m
29. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, November 5): 11.43m
30. Euro 2016: England v Iceland (ITV, June 27): 11.42m
31. I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (ITV, November 14): 11.40m
32. Strictly Come Dancing: the results (BBC1, December 4): 11.39m
33. Strictly Come Dancing: the results (BBC1, November 13): 11.37m
34. Britain's Got Talent (ITV, May 7): 11.35m
35. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, December 10): 11.34m
36. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, November 12): 11.31m
37. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, October 29): 11.22m
38. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, October 15): 11.21m
= Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, October 22): 11.21m
40. Strictly Come Dancing: the results (BBC1: November 27) 11.11m
* All data compiled from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb)