The Voice UK drops nearly a million viewers from last year

The Voice UK may have brought in Boy George and Paloma Faith, but last night's series premiere was down year on year.



The fifth run of the BBC One singing competition appealed to 7.12 million (32%), according to overnight figures. 12 months ago, the premiere won 8.05 million.

In case you wanted to compare, the 2015 series of The X Factor began with 7.11 million on ITV (+1 not included).

Later on BBC One, Casualty and Match of the Day drew 5.23 million (24.1%) and 3.06 million (22.4%) respectively.

On ITV, Ninja Warrior UK averaged 3.89 million (17.9%) and Take Me Out entertained 2.98 million (13.3%). The Jonathan Ross Show followed with 2.06 million (9.8%).​

Over on Channel 5, Celebrity Big Brother managed 1.24 million (5.7%) with the aftermath of Winston McKenzie's eviction.