Blue Planet II becomes the most watched programme of 2017 so far
The first episode was seen by 14.1 million people over the course of a week
With its stunning sequences of surfing dolphins and heartbreaking scenes featuring walrus pups, perhaps it's not much of a surprise that Blue Planet II has become the most-watched programme of 2017.
Since episode one was broadcast on Sunday 29th October, 14.1 million people have watched the series opener either live or using catch-up services.
The broadcast which previously held the record for this year was the One Love Manchester concert, which saw 11.63 million people tune in.
Overall figures mean that Blue Planet II is not only the most watched show of this year, but also the third most watched show from the past five years.
Holding the first and second spots are the 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina and The Great British Bake Off final in 2016.
Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the second episode of Blue Planet II was watched by an average overnight audience of 10.8 million on Sunday 5th November – an increase of half a million on the series opener.
