X Factor viewing figures among lowest since show's beginning

ITV surprised many by broadcasting a Friday edition of its singing contest for the first time because it said its Sunday night schedule was too full to fit in enough of the “boot camp” stage.

It is now being screened over three consecutive nights.

The figures will come as a blow to Simon Cowell, who had hoped to rejuvenate X Factor audience numbers with his return to the judging panel, but this year’s ratings have continued a downward trend for the show over the past three years.

Last night’s peak audience for Strictly, which saw EastEnders actor Jake Wood top the leaderboard, was 6.8 million.

ITV claimed its X Factor peak was 6.6 million, which includes viewers of its +1 catch-up channel.

The X Factor’s audience figure is the worst of the series and one of the lowest rated editions since the show began.

ITV drew comfort from the fact that its decision to air the show last night doubled the usual audience of 2.9 million for the channel at that time on a Friday.

The two shows were also up against the launch of a new series of Channel 4’s hit Gogglebox, which pulled in 2.7 million.

Strictly and X Factor have already met once earlier this month when the preview edition of the BBC1 show was screened, introducing the celebrities to their partners.

The dance contest was also the victor on that occasion, according to overnight figures, but using “consolidated” figures compiled from viewing over the subsequent week it was 70,000 ahead – although this does not include iPlayer views which would also add hundreds of thousands to Strictly’s figure.

Strictly’s audience last night was down more than a million on the 7.8 million who tuned in for the 2013 launch.