BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Pirates take Boxing Day treasure (original) (raw)

Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Depp starred in a smash hit sequel to the film in 2006

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl dominated Boxing Day television in the UK, with 10.1m people tuning in to see the film on BBC One.

The two-hour adventure, starring Johnny Depp, attracted 42% of viewers on Tuesday, overnight figures suggested.

BBC One's EastEnders was next with 8.6m, followed by Emmerdale with 6.8m, which proved a strong performer for ITV1 over the festive period.

After Thomas, a drama with Keeley Hawes and Ben Miles, scored 4.9m for ITV1.

	BOXING DAY TV RATINGS 1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (10.1m) 2. EastEnders (8.6m) 3. Emmerdale (6.8m) 4. BBC One News - 1810 (5.7m) 5. After Thomas (pictured, 4.9m) 6. Jam and Jerusalem (4.8m) 7. Celebrity Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? (4.5m) 8. ITV1 News - 1815 (4.4m) 9. Mastermind Celebrity Special (4.2m) 10. BBC One News - 2215 (4.0m) Source: BARB

It finished 100,000 ahead of Jennifer Saunders' comedy Jam and Jersualem on BBC One.

There were two quizzes in the top 10, with ex-model Melinda Messenger and former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy featuring in Celebrity Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? on ITV1.

It scored 300,000 more viewers than BBC One's Mastermind Celebrity Special, with contestants including explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

There was also success for Channel 4's game show Deal or No Deal, which shared the 2000 GMT timeslot with Challenge Anneka, the former BBC programme which ITV1 revived after an 11-year gap.

A total of 3.3m viewers saw Anneka Rice try to help with the rebuilding of a Sri Lankan village devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

But 100,000 more people were watching contestants play for �500,000 in a special edition of Deal or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds.