BBC1’s The Apprentice returned with an average audience of 6.4 million, down slightly on the launch episode last year.
The opening episode of the eleventh series of the Lord Sugar business show was down 300,000 viewers on last year, which was its best start since 7.8 million watched in 2011.
The show took a 29% share of all TV viewers between 9pm and 10pm on Wednesday night.
In 2013, the show drew 6 million to its launch episode which was the lowest audience for a launch episode since its first series on BBC1 in 2007.
The show began life on BBC2 where it ran for two seasons before transferring to the corporation’s main channel.
The Apprentice appears to have peaked four years ago when 8.1 million viewers watched the fifth series begin in March 2009.
