The opening episode of the Great British Bake Off was hit by Ofcom complaints following Matt Lucas' opening sketch where he played Boris Johnson.
The show, which was pushed back for the Prime Minister's televised address to the nation and aired straight after, averaged 6.9 million viewers and peaked at 7.9 million.
It was up more than a million on last year.
The 2019 opener drew an average of 5.7 million viewers, peaking at 6.6 million.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here.
The new series saw Matt Lucas replacing previous co-host Sandi Toksvig.
He made his debut in a skit mimicking the Prime Minister's coronavirus briefings.
The Little Britain star, 46, wore a blonde wig and stood at a lectern featuring the slogan: "Stay Alert, Protect Cake, Save Loaves."
Stumbling over his words in imitation of the PM's style of delivery, Matt said: "Good evening, let's get straight to it.
"We are now approaching phase 46 which means that from Tuesday morning or Wednesday evening, depending on your height, we are saying, with regards to baking, that if you must bake in a tent, bake in a tent, but please don't bake in a tent..."
He added: "We are asking people to use common sense with regards to the distribution of the hundreds and thousands."
Matt's co-host Noel Fielding then appeared via video link to ask a question about the correct pronunciation of "scone".
The comedian handed over to judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, mimicking advisers Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, who disagreed on the matter.
Ofcom confirmed to the Manchester Evening News that they had recevied 181 complaints about GBBO's return - with the "vast majority" referring to the sketch.
The Great British Bake Off continues Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
