'EastEnders' wins Thursday ratings

EastEnders remained top dog in Thursday's soap ratings, the latest overnight data reveals.



Phil Mitchell's unrelenting desperation to save Ben hooked 7.18m (36.1%), and 592k (3.8%) for BBC Three's 10.30pm repeat.

After EastEnders, Waterloo Road's launch in its new Scotland home attracted its worst ever opening figure of 3.57m (16%) due to its clashing with ITV's soap hour.

The return of Waterloo Road seemed to play into EastEnders' favour, as the school drama's clash with Coronation Street saw the Weatherfield soap's audience crash to 5.98m (26.3%).

However, 8.30pm's ITV's flagship serial - which saw Tommy track down Kirsty - added a hefty 410k (1.9%) on +1, making up some of its lost ground.

The Chas Dingle-centred second half of Emmerdale's double bill was also harmed by Waterloo Road, picking up 5.45m (25.5%) at 8pm, but adding 312k (1.5%) on ITV1 +1.

The Yorkshire soap's 7pm edition - focusing on a charity fun run - logged a more respectable 5.88m (32.1%).

Meanwhile, Channel 4's Hollyoaks took 771k (4.5%) at 6.30pm (+1: 119k/0.6%), then E4's first look grabbed 420k (2.3%) from 7pm (+1: 103k/0.5%).

Elsewhere, Neighbours appealed to 594k (8.5%) at 1.45pm and 809k (6.4%) at 5.30pm for its latest instalment, while Doctors averaged 1.23m (7.8%) for a story titled 'Blue Eyed Boy'.