Glee lights up E4 with record-breaking 1.6m viewers

GLEEKS MULTIPLY Glee: E4, 9pm – the second series of the US import began where last year's first run – one of E4's biggest new shows of 2010 – left off. Glee attracted 1.614 million viewers and a 6.1% share, the show's best E4 audience so far. Last year Glee launched on the channel with 1.1 million in January , rising to 1.5 million for the series finale in June . Last night's episode was the most-watched multichannel show on Monday, with another 362,000 (1.8%) watching an hour later on E4 +1. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME Episodes: BBC2, 10pm/Shameless, Channel 4, 10pm – BBC2's new comedy about a Brit couple taking their, um ... Brit comedy to Hollywood with predictably disastrous results made a solid start in the ratings last night, but was no match for Channel 4's long-running drama, back for its eighth series. Episodes brought in 1.859 million and an 8.5% audience share, compared to 3.063 million and 15.8% for Shameless, which had another 355,000 (3.4%) on Channel 4+1. Despite some critics believing Shameless is getting past its sell-by date, the Paul Abbott drama shows no sign of slipping in the ratings – last night's figures compare well with the 2009 seventh series opener, which averaged 3.2 million and 17.4% , plus 262,000 on C4+1. Episodes attracted just 1,000 viewers when repeated on BBC HD at 10.30pm. Note to BBC schedulers – maybe you need to sort out BBC HD? Simulcasting HD programming with non-HD broadcasts seems to bring the best ratings returns. Admittedly BBC HD has to cater for all the corporation's non-BBC1 high definition programming – but the scheduling appears too haphazard for viewers with the necessary kit to be able to find their favourite shows. THE BIGGEST LOSER ... IS A BIT OF A LOSER The Biggest Loser: ITV1, 9pm – the second series of the weight-loss reality show launched with an average of 3.591 million viewers and a 13.6% share. BBC1's Silent Witness ran away with the 9pm ratings honours, averaging 7.241 million and a 27.4% share. Competition included BBC2's Horizon: What Is One Degree? (1.531 million/5.8%, BBC HD 73,000/0.3%), a new series of Channel 4's One Born Every Minute (2.55 million/9.7%, C4+1 302,000/1.5%) and Channel 5 movie repeat Payback (1.156 million/5.1%). TRUCKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND Eddie Stobart: Trucks, Trailers and Tinsel: Channel 5, 8pm – a one-off special of the trucking documentary looking at the logistical problems caused by the pre-Christmas bad weather was the network's best-rating show yesterday, averaging 1.257 million viewers and a 4.7% audience share. The 8pm competition consisted of BBC1's EastEnders (8pm: 10.37 million/39.1%) and Panorama: Too Much Too Young (8.30pm: 3.847 million/14.4%), BBC2's University Challenge (8pm: 2.752 million/10.4%) and new series Baking Made Easy (2.052 million/7.7%), ITV1's The Lakes (8pm: 4.423 million/16.7%) and Coronation Street (8.30pm: 9.947 million/37.2%), and Channel 4's Celebrity Come Dine with Me (1.572 million/5.9%, C4 +1 266,000/1%). NOT SO TOOLED UP Tool Academy: E4, 10pm – the new reality show in which women send their fellas to a relationship bootcamp opened with 354,000 viewers and a 2.1% audience share – enough to make it the channel's third most-watched show of the day. Another 150,000 (1.7%) watched on E4 +1. However, Tool Academy fumbled the ball somewhat, having inherited 1.6 million from Glee (see above). I WANT SOME SOUP... AND I WANNA WATCH CBEEBIES Could the current flu epidemic have anything to do with CBeebies output packing the multichannel top 10 most-watched shows yesterday? The BBC pre-school channel had six out of the 10 most-watched in multichannel – and eight in the top 20, its entire schedule from 4.50pm to 7pm closedown. The CBeebies multichannel top 10 roll of honour: Chuggington: Badge Quest (5.40pm: 676,000), Grandpa in My Pocket (5.30pm: 652,000), Driver Dan's Story Train (5.45pm: 643,000), Gigglebiz (5.15pm: 620,000), Charlie and Lola (5pm: 581,000) and Waybuloo (6pm: 550,000). Also featuring in the multichannel top 10 – BBC3's Is Oral Sex Safe? (9pm: 605,000). All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".