It was the much-hyped return of one of Channel 4's brightest stars. But when Bo' Selecta returned for a third series on Friday night it was beaten in the ratings by a relic from the end-of-the-pier comedy archive - BBC1's Jim Davidson.
Corporation chiefs don't talk about Davidson very much. Indeed, a trawl through the BBC's press office suggests the last time they wrote anything about him was when he quit The Generation Game in 2002.
But they will have been delighted by the performance of Jim Davidson on the Road, which follows the comedian around Britain on his stand-up tour. Friday's show was recorded in the seaside town of Llandudno, north Wales, and had 4 million viewers - more than a quarter of the audience at 10.35pm.
Over on Channel 4, the return of Bo' Selecta could only manage 2.6 million - although it did easily beat the station's average share of about 10%, with 15% of the audience. Friday's episode, the first of a nine-part run, featured old Avid Merrion favourites like Mel B and the Bear, with an extended "chatshow" element and an unexpected new addition - canned laughter.
As Davidson began a four-part run, two other long-running BBC comedies came to the end of their current run. Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker sitcom My Family finished with 5.2 million viewers, just under a quarter of the audience, while The Lenny Henry Show had 4.3 million.
Both lost out to ITV's Euro 2004 coverage of the match between Italy and Sweden, which averaged 5.3 million between 7.30pm and 10pm.
Another surprise result was the BBC v ITV on Sunday night, when Baddiel and Skinner returned for Fantasy Football with an audience of 3.2 million and an 18% share.
Alas, their football skills were no match for Panorama, whose investigation into counterfeit bank notes rang up an audience of 3.9 million - a 21% share.
Smash hit US makeover show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy finally made its terrestrial debut after proving a big success for Living TV. The series, in which five gay fashion experts attempt to transform a straight man, had 1.4 million viewers, or a 7% share in a tough slot straight after Channel 4 News.
But Queer Eye for the Straight Guy promises to do better than BBC2 quiz flop, The Cram. The show finished its 10-part run with just 900,000 viewers, a 5% share at 7pm. For BBC2, the search for an effective replacement for The Simpsons goes on.
Later on BBC2, Gardeners' World Live from the NEC in Birmingham had 2.4 million, while documentary The Day Mountbatten Died was watched by an audience of 2.2 million, a 10% share.
A day later on BBC2, the Royal Opera House's performance of Faust took up nearly four hours of the channel's primetime schedule on Saturday night. The performance of Charles-Francois Gounod's 1859 opera averaged a consistent 600,000 viewers, a 3% share. Given the choice, 5 million viewers preferred to watch ITV clip show, Best Ever Hidden Camera Stunts 2.
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