Yes there was! They got 19.5m and 18.9m respectively. Here's a very useful post which was posted on here about two years ago
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...&postcount=602

Even on the BARB from 1981 section, it says that the ratings were aggregated
http://www.barb.co.uk/facts/since198...986&view=top10

Its still wrong. This book lists the two episodes as 28 million and 30 million.

I'm not debating it as its there in black and white.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/EastEnders-I...4171990&sr=8-1

I'll even scan the page if you like....

I'll be joining you on 18/08.

Shock as book written by creators of EastEnders artificially inflates figures.

Maybe the book is wrong

This is from the days when BARB added omnibus ratings to the main show. To this day many on Coronation Street said that was unfair.

The EastEnders' 1986 Christmas Day episode where Den handed Angie the divorce papers famously topped 30m - whether it is an aggregate figure including the omnibus or not, it is bloody phenomenal.

Those lists don't feature the other very famous EastEnders episode broadcast in 1994 with the climax of Sharongate: the episode EXCLUDING the Sunday omnibus got over 24 million.

But then we come back to the usual "sun shines out of itv's arse" posters on this board who clearly love Coronation Street.

I wonder if they'll release the ceremony on DVD/ Blu ray. I know I'd buy it.

16.5 million for Murray and not forgetting the 20.3 million who yawned through England's deadly dull quarter final in the Euros.
Away from sport and monarchy, BGT final is the most watched show with 13.5 million tuning in. Also all eyes will be fixed on here on another Cowell show to see if last year's slide will continue or if it will perk up again. I'm of the opinion TXF is waning now, but is still good for 8-9 million viewers.

Coronation Street are bad losers. You see it at awards shows: whenever EastEnders trumps them, you can see the sour contempt on the actors' faces. Then they claim they were "robbed" in interviews.

Whereas actors from EastEnders are always gracious in defeat. I've never heard anyone from EastEnders badmouth Coronation.Street - and that was reflected in EastEnders having Dot Branning say in one episode in 2010, "Corrie - it's my favourite" on its 50th anniversary. Would Coronation Street ever return that kind of gesture? I think not.

Why are you starting a Corrie v EE debate? There's no need for it.

It clearly says aggregated. However, 10 million for a soap omnibus is excellent, considering these struggle to get 500,000 now.

What are we going to get for the 100m Final tonight then? I reckon another 14-15m peak possibly.

Bolt is a well-known, well-liked athlete, who got a huge reception for the heats yesterday afternoon. A reception comparable in noise to that given to the British lot, in my opinion.

Probably more to do with the internet and PVRs than anything else...

Not correct. The 27th October 1994 episode, the climax of Sharongate, got 19.31m and was the highest rated episode of the year in '94. The 24m figure clearly had the omnibus added. This is all according to BARB:
http://www.barb.co.uk/facts/since198...994&view=top10

And the 1986 episodes include the omnibus figure as stated earlier in the thread.

Just looking, it seems like EE didn't top 20m again (first showings only) until 2001 with Who Shot Phil, if someone could correct me on that, looking on BARB annual top 10's.

People need to stop quoting aggregate figures. Honestly.

And then there was the famous Who Shot Phil Mitchell episode that got 20m in 2001. No matter what people say the fact is the 1986 Christmas Day edition of EastEnders is in the record books. It's a shame that when people talk about the 1986 episode they forget it also featured Arthur Fowler's mental breakdown. I still say Bill Treacher's performance in those episodes was magnificent and he never got the kudos he deserved for it.

EE was proper grit in those days, a realistic representation of the East End, tackling big issues. Brilliant. Started to decline for a brief period after Den left, with too many comedy stories in 1989 before Michael Ferguson took over in 1990 to recover EE.

It was a good show in the early years and ratings were always close to 20 million. Whereas Coronation St had elderly characters discussing pigeons, EE had young, exciting characters like Dirty Den and Nick Cotton. As a teen, before Neighbours came along, EE was the in soap to watch.

And Brookside as well?

Hahahaha.

I'm not "starting" anything. I'm just stating a fact. I'm not asking people to disagree or agree with me.

As for the Sharongate rating, allthingsuk, I stand corrected. Apologies but I distinctly recall press reports at the time citing 24m.

I wish people would be a little less patronising in correcting others on here.

Definitely, the oldies had Coronation St, Crossroads and Emmerdale Farm, the kids had Brookside and Eastenders. Actually it was extremely unfashionable to mention you watched Crossroads in the mid eighties. However, when it was cancelled, ironically it was getting similar ratings to the big two now.
Then came Neighbours mania, though being a Brookside man I never got the appeal of this cheap, imported soap, yet it was as big as EE for about three years.

It just shows that when you're on TV for so many years you will have peaks and troughs in terms of ratings, performances and storylines. From 85-88 though EE really was something special. There also was a great period with Corinne Hollingworth in the late nineties when EastEnders was the first soap to be nominated for and win Best Drama Series at The BAFTAs. And this was before there was a dedicated soap award.

They're all on too often though.

Just thought I'd share this what I've just found. The "sharongate" episode got 25.30 million viewers (aggregated of course!). Confusing why this is not reported as the most watched EE episode of the 90s when the 1992 episode is.

Original - 19.31 million
Omnibus - 5.99 million

Link - http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/1994/...gest-audience/

I actually agree. Although I grew up with the EastEnders of the late 90s and early 00s, I actually think that they should go back to the original format of having the show on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Quality over quantity.