After losing the first ratings battle last week, Simon Cowell was telling anyone who’d listen that Britain’s Got Talent would close the gap this Saturday.
But instead the BBC talent show built upon its lead, peaking at 10.2 million viewers – an increase on last week.
What’s more, an impressive nine million of them watched the whole episode, meaning that Jessie J & Co beat BGT by over two million viewers during the 20 minute cross-over between 8pm and 8.20pm.
The ITV show may have peaked at 12 million viewers and averaged 9.9 million, but Beeb execs have explained that BGT has the most favourable time-slot and that the results from the cross-over tell the real story.
Apparently the news has seen Simon Cowell cracking the whip over at the ITV studios, a source told The Mirror.
“Simon has been working the team around the clock and ordering dozens of re-edits in a bid to improve the show,” they explained.
“He wants every show to be better and better, but a lot of the strongest contestants have already been in the early shows. Staff are being pushed to breaking point because of this war.
“Executives hoped The Voice’s audience would dwindle after the first show, but that has not been the case. For a long time Simon has been the king of reality TV, but these figures prove he’s not the only man who knows how to create a hit.”
If you missed The Voice on Saturday, check out this highlights video..
Follow us on Twitter right here and be our Facebook friend here..
