BBC1 dominates top 40 most-watched TV shows of 2015

BBC1 is on course to triumph over ITV in the battle for the year's biggest ratings, thanks to hit series such as Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off.

More than half of the top 40 most-watched programmes so far in 2015 were broadcast by BBC1.

This includes the Bake Off final, which is at number one in the chart with a massive 15 million viewers.

The figures were hailed by BBC1 boss Charlotte Moore as "wonderful" and a reflection of "an incredible year" for the channel.

Just 13 of the top 40 were shown by ITV - though this could change at Christmas with the broadcast of the last ever episode of Downton Abbey.

The chart has been compiled by the Press Association from data produced by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb).

All 10 episodes of this year's series of The Great British Bake Off are in the list, with seven inside the top 10.

EastEnders appears three times, including both of the 30th anniversary episodes broadcast on February 19.

But it is Strictly Come Dancing which dominates the top 40, appearing a total of 12 times - a number that could increase after the transmission on December 19 of the show's grand final.

ITV's highest entry is the final of Britain's Got Talent, which is at number two with just under 13 million viewers. The show appears a total of seven times in the chart, while another ITV series, I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!, appears four times.

The X Factor does not make the top 40.

BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore told the Press Association: "It's wonderful to see the fabulous Great British Bake Off top the list in what has been an incredible year for BBC1.

"Thanks to the talented creatives we work with, the channel has brought the nation together with a distinctive range of world-class programmes at the top of their game and BBC1's highest-rating shows all reflect this.

"Next year, BBC1's commitment to ambitious and pioneering television will continue to raise the bar even further on quality and innovation."

An ITV spokesman pointed out that the channel had broadcast the most-watched entertainment show of the year in Britain's Got Talent, along with the highest-rated dramas (Downton Abbey and Broadchurch) and the most-watched sporting event of 2015 - England v Wales in the Rugby World Cup, which had a total audience of 9.7 million.

For the top 40 to change before the end of the year, a programme will need to attract an audience of at least 10.5 million viewers.

Currently only BBC1 (27 shows) and ITV (13) appear in the chart.

The top 40 was compiled using Barb's consolidated ratings for seven days. This is the number of people who watched a programme live plus those who watched a recording of the show within a week of its original transmission.

The figures for ITV also include the ITV HD and ITV+1 channels. If these were removed from the calculations, BBC1 programmes would make up 39 of the top 40.