Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway recorded its highest ever ratings last night as swathes of the UK population enter self-isolation at home.
The entertainment programme aired without a live studio audience for the first time due to the coronavirus spread, with viewers instead appearing on the show via webcam.
According to overnight ratings figures, the show averaged 9.5m viewers and a 45% share of the audience between 7pm and 8.30pm, with a peak of 11.1m.
The numbers make Takeaway the most-watched TV programme of 2020 so far, surpassing the BBC's coverage of the fireworks display on New Year's Eve.
The final episode of the current series will air next weekend but will be pre-recorded due to concerns over the disease.
Neil Wilkes
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