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Lost pulls in record ratings

Anita Singh
12/ 8/2005

CHANNEL 4's much-hyped new drama Lost pulled in record ratings of more than six million viewers for its first episode It had an average audience of 6.1 million - the channel's highest ever ratings for a US series launch.

A follow-up episode at 10pm had an average audience of 5.9 million.

The ratings are way ahead of Channel 4's previous hit Desperate Housewives, which had an average of 4.6 million for its debut.

Both episodes of Lost were the most watched in their time slots, beating rival programmes on BBC1 and ITV1.

And viewers were so hooked that 1.5 million tuned in to E4 for a preview of the third episode.

The glossy drama about a group of survivors from a plane which crashes on a tropical island became a sensation in the US.

The £3 million pilot episode was the most expensive in history.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "We are absolutely delighted with the huge success of these ratings. There is obviously a large appetite for innovative and distinctive quality drama."