X Factor beats Beeb

The X factor has beaten the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing with a Saturday night average audience of 7.5 million viewers.

12:53 16 October 2005

X Factor has reportedly seen off competition from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and attracted a Saturday night average audience of 7.5 million viewers.

The BBC One celebrity dancing show drew an average audience of seven million for the first of the new series last night.

X Factor was the top Saturday evening show, with 38.5 per cent of the available television audience, according to the BBC.

On X Factor, girl group Addictiv Ladies were the first to be voted off the TV talent show, while My Family star Siobhan Hayes was voted off Strictly Come Dancing.

Siobhan and her partner, Latin dance champion Matthew Cutler, lost a public vote on the BBC dance show, presented by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly.

The BBC's third series of Strictly Come Dancing stars DJ Zoe Ball, TV presenters Gloria Hunniford and Fiona Phillips, snooker player Dennis Taylor and ex-EastEnders star Patsy Palmer.

The second series of X Factor saw former stripper Chico and the teenage girl group put to a judges' vote for the last place in next week's live show. The judges chose Chico, who sang Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?".

The Strictly Come Dancing final last year attracted almost one million viewers more than X Factor.