BBC’S Bodyguard lands a blow in ratings battle against ITV

The BBC’S political thriller Bodyguard triumphed over ITV’S lavish period drama Vanity Fair in the Sunday night ratings battle, drawing twice the number of viewers.

The third episode of the BBC One series starring Keeley Hawes and Richard Madden attracted an average of 6.6 million viewers, giving the channel a 33 per cent share.

The show peaked with seven million viewers.

The first episode of the ITV adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel also aired at 9pm and drew an average of 2.9 million viewers and a 15 per cent share. The launch episode peaked with 3.9 million viewers, including those watching on ITV +1.