Media Guardian Story Week 4

Hamilton title bid watched by 10mBen DowellMonday October 22, 2007MediaGuardian.co.uk
Hamilton: finished seventh in the Brazilian Grand Prix to narrowly miss out on the world title. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
ITV1's live coverage of the Brazilian Grand Prix peaked at 10.4 million viewers yesterday, 50% of the available television audience, as British driver Lewis Hamilton narrowly missed out on the Formula 1 World Championship.
Coverage of the race itself averaged 9 million viewers, a 47% overall share, with the whole programme from 4pm to 7pm averaging 7.3 million, or a 41% share, according to the unofficial overnight ratings.
According to ITV, the figures make it the most watched Formula 1 race since 2000.
It allowed ITV to obliterate the opposition - the omnibus edition of EastEnders averaged 1.8 million at a 15% share between 3.10pm and 5.05pm, while BBC2's coverage of the Snooker Grand Prix averaged 1.2 million at 9% between 2.30pm and 6pm.
BBC1 got back into pole position with the Strictly Come Dancing results show, which averaged 6.8 million at 29% between 6.50pm and 7.35pm.
Channel 4's best performance against the motor racing was with archive property show Location, Location, Location: Best and Worst, which drew 1 million viewers at a 5% share between 5.15pm and 6.45pm.
Channel 5's best stab at wooing an audience not interested in motor sport came with its film premiere of the Adam Sandler comedy Spanglish, which pulled in 800,000 viewers between 5.30pm and 8pm.
The channel scored better, however, later in the evening with a repeat of the Patrick Swayze favourite Dirty Dancing which pulled in 2.8 million at 12% between 8pm and 10pm.
It beat BBC2's coverage of the snooker Grand Prix, which averaged 1.8 million at 8% between 8pm and 11pm.
ITV1 rounded off a successful evening between 8pm and 9pm as hospital drama The Royal averaged 6.6 million at 27%.
However, it did less well with one-off romantic comedy Catwalk Dogs, about a woman with marital problems competing in a dog show, which had 4.8 million between 9pm and 10.30pm, a 21% share.
It was beaten by the penultimate episode of Michael Palin's travelogue New Europe, which was watched by 5.8 million at 24% in the 9pm hour on BBC1.
Channel 4's film repeat of the Hugh Grant comedy Mickey Blue Eyes pulled in 1.4 million at 7% between 9pm and 10.55pm.