Much has been made in the media of the supposed ratings battle between the series debut of ‘The Voice UK’ on ITV and the launch of ‘The Greatest Dancer’ on BBC One, but newly-released figures have shown that it was the former that pulled in the most viewers.
Both shows debuted on Saturday night, in the same 8pm timeslot, with 5.3 million people watching the new series of ‘The Voice UK’, which once again saw Olly Murs on the panel alongside long-serving coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am and Jennifer Hudson.
This means they narrowly beat their supposed BBC rivals, with ‘The Greatest Dancer’ pulling in 4.6 million for its series debut.
Open Image Modal
The coaches on this series of 'The Voice'
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
However, it should be pointed out these early figures don’t include viewers watching on catch-up services BBC iPlayer or the ITV Hub.
‘The Greatest Dancer’ marks the first time a show from Simon Cowell’s Syco production company has aired on the BBC, and sees Cheryl Tweedy returning to TV as a dance captain, alongside ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ pro Oti Mabuse and former ‘Glee’ actor Matthew Morrison.
This time around, though, it’s the audience who hold all the power in the early stages of the competition, with those watching from their seats voting on whether or not the hopefuls get through to the next round of the competition.
Open Image Modal
Oti, Matthew and Cheryl of 'The Greatest Dancer'
BBC Pictures
In our HuffPost Verdict of the new show, Ash Percival wrote: “If you only tuned into the first five minutes of The Greatest Dancer, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was another textbook Syco production.
There are dramatic opening montages, glam shots of the judges, films of nervous contestants getting ready at home, sped-up shots auditoriums filling up, ‘Gogglebox’-style audience commentary and a predictable selection of music overlays. However, when you stick with it, you quickly realise it’s fresher than any similar shows that have been on TV in at least the last five years.”
Both ‘The Voice UK’ and ‘The Greatest Dancer’ will return on Saturday night, again going head to head at 8pm.
'The Voice' UK: Where Are They Now?
Jermain Jackman(01 of12)
Open Image Modal
It wasn't until the third series of The X Factor that it found its first international star in winner Leona Lewis. With Jermain Jackman's much-anticipated debut album due for release in March, time will tell if he can be The Voice's first ever break-out star... (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
Leanne Mitchell(02 of12)
Open Image Modal
Sadly, the show's first ever winner found herself dropped last year, after releasing just one album. Leanne has since blamed the fact her label waited too long after her victory on 'The Voice' in releasing the album for its lack of commercial success, claiming she's happy she didn't "cop out" and release a covers album. (credit:Mike Marsland via Getty Images)
Tyler James(03 of12)
Open Image Modal
Tyler "I Was Best Friends With Amy Winehouse" James (she's mentioned six times on his Wikipedia page alone) was a fan-favourite during the first series of 'The Voice', famously performing a duet with will.i.am dangling from the ceiling.Sadly this didn't translate to a fruitful music career and his last offering in 2012 stalled at number 47 in the UK album chart. (credit:REX/Brian Rasic)
Bo Bruce(04 of12)
Open Image Modal
Despite having the most commercial success of any of the former 'Voice' stars, Bo hasn't exactly had an easy time since leaving the competition, quitting her record label after two singles due to a "lack of support" and eventually checking into rehab for exhaustion.She's since branded former coach Danny O'Donaghue a "wanker" after admitting that they shared a snog while she was still being mentored by him on the show.Bo collaborated with top DJ Chicane on a dance track last year. (credit:Rex/Jason Sheldon)
Vince Kidd(05 of12)
Open Image Modal
Had the people who voted on 'The X Factor' also voted on 'The Voice', Vince would probably have won, and could potentially be one of the biggest faces on the music scene, even three years later.Sadly, this was not the case, and Leanne took the crown while Vince came in fourth place (potentially down to the fact he performed one of Jessie J's lesser-known songs as his 'coaches duet').That said, Vince is still making music, and last year co-wrote and provided vocals for the Alpines' track 'Zero'. (credit:Rex)
Twinnie Lee Moore(06 of12)
Open Image Modal
Already a successful musical theatre actress when she auditioned for 'The Voice' in 2012, Twinnie Lee has since focused on her acting career, and made a storm in 'Hollyoaks' when she arrived on the scene as Porsche McQueen in November last year.She also, judging from this photo, loves a good hat. (credit:Rex/Tom Horton)
Jamie Johnson(07 of12)
Open Image Modal
After performing with legends like Kylie Minogue and Justin Timberlake in the space of a year thanks to his appearance on 'The Voice', Jamie has now said he's determined to make a splash in America, insisting: "I just don’t want half the cake, I want the whole cake." (credit:Rex/Beretta/Sims)
Leah McFall(08 of12)
Open Image Modal
One of the most unanimously-praised 'Voice' contestants ever, kooky and talented Leah is due to release her debut album 'Weird To Wonderful' later this year.She's been in the studio with former mentor, will.i.am, collaborating with him on the track, 'Home'. (credit:Neil Lupin via Getty Images)
Andrea Begley(09 of12)
Open Image Modal
Andrea famously caused will.i.am to storm off set when she was announced as winner in 2013, over his act, Leah McFall.Since taking her place on the 'Voice' throne, Andrea has hit the UK top ten with an album of covers, 'The Message'.Last year, she also completed her Masters degree in Law and Governance... which would appear to suggest we won't be hearing a follow-up album for the time being. (credit:Harlem Mepham via Getty Images)
Max Milner(10 of12)
Open Image Modal
Don't let that haphazard peace sign deceive you - Max is actually on of the former contestants to still be making music, performing alongside Kaiser Chiefs at the launch of Jaguar's new model last year.He also recently unveiled his latest release, 'Man Overboard'. (credit:Rex/Ray Tang)
Sally Barker(11 of12)
Open Image Modal
Sally may not have been the winner of 'The Voice' last year, but she still managed to thrash eventual-champion Jermain Jackman in terms of single sales, charting 15 places higher than him the week after the show ended.Following her success on the show, Sally completed a UK tour at the tail-end of 2014. (credit:Alex Huckle via Getty Images)