Gladiators and Michael McIntyre's Big Show returns' overnight ratings revealed - but did they beat The Masked Singer?

With a new year comes plenty of new releases, and really, Saturday nights in are looking ever brighter as some of the public's favourite entertainment shows have returned.

Last night really was the battle of TV ratings as the BBC boasted the return of Michael McIntyre's Big Show and Gladiators, while ITV1 impressed audiences with another wacky instalment of The Masked Singer.

But which show came out on top?

Well, it was Michael McIntyre's Big Show that took the top spot for overnight ratings, with the stand-up and variety show launching to an impressive 4.2 million viewers. That total means its share percentage was at 34%, up from 28% the previous season, and the viewing figures peaked at 4.7 million.

The show itself launched with plenty of laughs, with McIntyre being joined by England rugby player and Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler, comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy, as well as music from Mel C. So, fun for all of the family!

The new season of Gladiators also premiered to some staggering figures, coming in at the second spot for overnight ratings. The show welcomed 3.4 million viewers, peaking at 3.7 million. Back and better than before, the series saw the return of hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh, as well as our beloved superhuman batch of Gladiators, who were all keen to take on challenges against members of the public.

While fans at home are used to the reboot and its slew of tricky challenges and courses, this season welcomes a brand new game called Destruction, set to be "the most explosive event yet". Destruction sees each player charge down their own lane, facing four massive 8-foot barriers, but the first to smash through and slam the final button wins.

Coming in at third place for the overnight ratings was ITV's The 1% Club, with The Weakest Link coming in fourth. That was then followed by BBC London News, and in the sixth place was The Masked Singer for its Spooktacular Special episode that saw yet another character unmasked.

Of course, each Saturday may bring different ratings, especially as the series progresses and stakes get higher for the Gladiators, more celebrities are unveiled on The Masked Singer, and more guests arrive for plenty of laughs on Michael McIntyre's Big Show.

But it's safe to say that Saturday nights are jam-packed with options right now, whichever show you decide to tune into!

Michael McIntyre's Big Show continues at 6:45pm on Saturday 24th January on BBC One and iPlayer.

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