Long-running hit Silent Witness triumphed in a head-to-head clash of the crime dramas last night as it edged ahead of Broadchurch, according to overnight ratings.

The BBC1 forensic pathology programme - starring Emilia Fox - pulled in an average audience of 5.9 million viewers, while the ITV programme managed 5.7 million, which included viewers of its catch-up +1 channel.

Broadchurch, which was was one of the TV hits of 2013 for its first series, had been the winner when the two shows were screened at the same time a week earlier.

Last week Broadchurch, which stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman, had pulled in 6.1 million, which put it 600,000 ahead.