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The controversy around Channel 4's documentary series Benefits Street did nothing to harm its ratings, its second episode adding nearly a million viewers on last week's opener to more than 5 million on Monday night.
With an average of 5.1 million viewers, a 20.8% share between 9pm and 10pm on Monday, the series about the residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham gave Channel 4 a rare win over BBC1 and ITV.
Monday night's episode focused on two sets of Romanian immigrants who had moved into the street in the Winson Green area of the city, after the opening episode looked at crime.
Critics branded the first episode "poverty porn", accusing it of demonising people on benefits at a time when the welfare state is being further cut back by the government, with nearly 1,000 complaints to Channel 4 and Ofcom by the end of last week. More than 30,000 people have signed a Change.org online petition calling for the show to be axed.
Channel 4 said it was a "fair and balanced observational documentary series".
Benefits Street beat ITV drama The Bletchley Circle and BBC1's Panorama, I Want My Baby Back, which investigated the Family Courts and four cases in which parents were accused of abuse and had their children taken away.
The five-part series of Benefits Street, made by Love Productions, whose other credits have included Boys and Girls Alone, Tower Block of Commons and The Great British Bake Off, debuted last week with 4.3 million viewers, a 17.2% share.
Love Productions' London offices were picketed on Monday afternoon by around 30 protestors unhappy at the show in a protest organised by the Unite union.
ITV drama The Bletchley Circle had 4.2 million viewers, a 17% share, also between 9pm and 10pm, down from 4.5 million viewers (18%) last week.
BBC1's Panorama had 2.2 million viewers (8.8%) between 9pm and 10pm. In the same slot last week, Sheridan Smith and David Morrissey drama The 7.39 had 5.7 million viewers, a 22.6% share.
At the same time on Channel 5, Celebrity Big Brother had 2.3 million viewers, a 9.4% share.
From the makers of Benefits Street – Bake Off's back!
Ahead of the next full series of The Great British Bake Off, celebrity charity spin-off show The Great Sport Relief Bake Off returned for a four-part series to BBC2 with 3.7 million viewers, a 14.8% share, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.
The baking show, which is also made by Love Productions, was up against the first half of Benefits Street and the closing half hour of another Channel 4 documentary, Dogs: Their Secret Lives, watched by 1.6 million viewers (6.5%) between 8pm and 9pm.
Bake Off followed the first quarter-final of University Challenge, the quiz was watched by 3.1 million viewers, a 12.7% share between 8pm and 8.30pm.
From 9.30pm on BBC2 Sacred Wonders of Britain averaged 1.6 million and a 7.5% share.
All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live, +1 (except for BBC channels) and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated
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