X Factor haunted by spectre of Strictly in Halloween clash

Strictly Come Dancing waltzed all over its rival The X Factor last weekend, as it notched up its highest viewing figures of the year so far.

Over 9.91 million people tuned in to watch Kirsty Gallacher become the first female celebrity to be voted off the BBC dance programme on Sunday, while 7.28 million viewers watched as Bupsi Brown and Alien Uncovered were the first acts to be eliminated from The X Factor that same night, according to figures by Barb.

The two shows did not overlap on Sunday, and only clashed for 15 minutes on Saturday.

Audiences for the ITV singing show hit a new low on Saturday, as 5.39 million people watched the likes of returning "wild card" Monica Michael and bookmakers' favourites Louisa Johnson and Che Chesterman perform live.

The X Factor bounced back on its first live weekend, attracting an average overnight audience of 6.47 million on Saturday - but this was no comparison to its BBC rival, which entertained around 9.70 million viewers on the same night with its spook-tacular Halloween special.

Actress Georgia May Foote was dubbed the "Queen of Halloween" after her tango to the Ghostbusters theme tune, which landed her the top spot on the leaderboard, while BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, dressed as the bride of Frankenstein, failed to impress the judges with her rumba.

But it was Gallacher who left, following a dance-off with Jamelia.

On The X Factor, judges Simon Cowell, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw were particularly blown away by performances by Johnson, Chesterman and Seann Miley Moore.