ITV1's new Saturday night fantasy adventure drama Primeval made a promising start at the weekend, attracting nearly 7 million viewers.
Primeval stars Douglas Henshall as the leader of a group of scientists investigating why dinosaurs keep turning up in 21st century Britain.
The drama launched with 6.7 million viewers and a 29% share over an hour from 7.45pm on Saturday, according to unofficial overnights.
Primeval was 1.1 million viewers up on ITV1's average audience in the slot last year.
The ITV1 drama was up against BBC1's movie repeat Shrek for most of its duration, with the popular animated feature attracting 6.2 million viewers and a 27% share over 80 minutes from 7.15pm.
Other competition for Primeval included Britain's Worst Weather on Channel 4, with 1.6 million viewers and a 6% share over an hour from 8.10pm; Channel Five's movie repeat Guns of the Magnificent Seven, which attracted 1.2 million and 5%; and The Culture Show on BBC2, which drew 800,000 viewers and 4%.
Primeval slotted into what is developing into a very strong ITV1 Saturday night lineup, led by Dancing on Ice and Harry Hill's TV Burp.
At the weekend TV Burp led off the ITV1 Saturday evening schedule with 6.1 million viewers and a 31% share between 5.55pm and 6.25pm.
Hill's comedy vehicle has really found its feet early on Saturday nights after bouncing around the ITV1 schedule for several years, attracting its best-ever figures at the weekend.
TV Burp has got the measure of Graham Norton's new BBC1 reality talent show, When Will I Be Famous?, which attracted just 3.7 million viewers and a 17% share.
This was 100,000 viewers and two share points down on the Norton show's debut the previous Saturday.
Dancing on Ice followed up on ITV1 with 8.9 million viewers and a 40% share between 6.25pm and 7.45pm.
After Primeval from 8.45pm, Ant and Dec gameshow PokerFace drew 5.3 million viewers and a 22% share over an hour. Then Dancing on Ice: the Skate-Off had 6.2 million viewers and a 26% share between 9.45pm and 10.15pm.
Competition during this period included BBC1's Casualty, with 7.8 million viewers and a 32% share between 8.35pm and 9.25pm.
On the same network from 9.25pm, National Lottery: 1 vs 100 attracted 5.2 million viewers and a 22% share.
Channel Five's top-rating show on Saturday was CSI: New York, with the second instalment of series three watched by 2.8 million viewers and attracting a 12% share in the hour from 9.25pm.
On BBC2, the third episode of The Comedy Map of Britain drew 1.6 million viewers and an 8% share in the hour from 10.10pm.
Earlier on Saturday, England's unconvincing Six Nations rugby union victory over Italy attracted 5.1 million viewers and a 40% share over two hours of live coverage from 1.30pm.
Then from 3.30pm, Scotland's defeat of Wales in the same competition was watched by 5.3 million viewers and drew a 34% share.
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