Emmerdale ended its special 40th anniversary week with a majestic audience on Friday evening.
Some 7.69m (37.6%) and a peak of 8m were gripped by the continuing aftermath of Carl King's live death in ITV's standalone 7pm-7.30pm slot, adding 144k (0.6%) on ITV1 +1.
For a second week, Emmerdale managed to trump its bigger BBC rival EastEnders, which logged 7.21m (31.5%) at 8pm. BBC Three's 10.30pm repeat added a further 493k (3%).
Albert Square's BBC One showing was last week knocked down to 6.3m after airing opposite an England football match.
Meanwhile, last night's EastEnders Omnibus was seen by 427k (9%) from midnight.
Predictably, Coronation Street topped the soap ratings with 8m (36.2%) from 7.30pm (+1: 162k/0.7%) and 7.69m (32.5%) at 8.30pm (+1: 251k/1.1%) for its Audrey/Lewis-centred double bill.
Elsewhere, Hollyoaks nabbed 959k (5%) on Channel 4 at 6.30pm (+1: 104k/0.5%) and 473k (2.3%) for E4's first look at 7pm (+1: 109k/0.5%), while Doctors averaged 1.43m (20.3%) for BBC One in the daytime for an episode titled 'The Pain and the Itch'.
Neighbours appealed to 719k (10%) at 1.45pm and 975k (6.2%) at 5.30pm for its latest instalment, while Home and Away grabbed 874k (4.9%) at 6pm and 494k (2.6%) for 5*'s first look.
