Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's BBC1 sketch show continued to leak viewers, with 300,000 fewer people tuning in to see the third instalment of Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul on Friday night.
Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul, Enfield's first TV sketch show for seven years, attracted 3.9 million viewers and an 18% share between 9.30pm and 10pm, according to unofficial overnight figures.
That was a fall on the previous week's second episode of 300,000 viewers and one share point. The series debuted with 4.8 million and a 22% share two weeks ago.
The BBC1 show did manage to draw with a repeat of Midsomer Murders on ITV1, which was also attracting an average of 3.9 million viewers in the half-hour it was up against Enfield and Whitehouse's sketch show. Overall, Midsomer Murders averaged 3.6 million at a 17% share between 8.30pm and 10.30pm.
Earlier, at 9pm, the second episode of Have I Got News for You, with Fern Britton guest presenting, added 200,000 viewers from the previous week, with 5.8 million viewers and a share of 27% between 9pm and 9.30pm.
My Family at 8.30pm was another part of BBC1's 90-minute Friday comedy strand to add viewers, attracting 6 million and 29%, up 100,000 on the previous week.
Timewatch on BBC2 between 9pm and 9.50pm picked up 1.8 million viewers and an 8% share with an edition about the deportation of Jewish children from France during the second world war.
On Channel 4, Ugly Betty at 9pm remained steady at 2.1 million viewers and a 10% share, while the new series of Derren Brown - Trick or Treat lost 100,000 viewers on the previous week, down to 1.5 million with an 8% share in the half hour from 10pm.
The acclaimed comedy Peep Show also lost viewers between 10.30pm and 11.05pm. Its tally of 1.1 million and a 7% share was 300,000 down on the previous week, when it got 1.4 million and an 8% share.
Channel Five's NCIS at 9pm attracted 1.8 million viewers and an 8% share, the network's best performance of the night.
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