Downton Abbey debuts with lower audience

The sixth and final series of Downton Abbey drew 7.6 million viewers to ITV as it returned on Sunday night.

It was the smallest-ever audience for an opening episode, down from 8.4 million last year.

Those who tuned in saw the staff facing redundancy, Lady Mary embroiled in a blackmail plot, and arguments over the future of the village hospital.

Butler Mr Carson revealed he "desired to live as closely as two people can" with housekeeper Mrs Hughes.

Critics were largely positive about Julian Fellowes' show, with some reservations.

In his review, The Times' Andrew Billen said he found the opening episode "comfortingly pleasurable, even during the substantial stretches when it is not very good."

Ceri Radford expressed similar sentiments in the Daily Telegraph, saying that while the drama had never "quite measured up" to its first series, the episode provided "an enjoyable if flawed finale to the convoluted tale of the Crawley family's fortunes".

"This bodes well for an autumn of cosy Sunday evening entertainment, even if it often feels more like farce than tour de force," he went on.

The Guardian's Sam Wollaston was less impressed, writing: "There is some very tedious business about a hospital, but it's really just a way... to provide Dame Maggie Smith with a few of her withering putdowns.

"Thank heaven there's not much more of this."

The Sun's Leigh Holmwood agreed that Dame Maggie's character "is still hogging the best lines", adding that Sue Johnson's Denker "continues to be a great addition to the show, spreading spiteful gossip that comes back to haunt her".

"Enjoy it while it lasts," he told his readers.

ITV will not be disappointed with the opening night viewing figures, as the statistics are becoming an increasingly unreliable snapshot of audience interest.

The X Factor made headlines last month when its opening episode attracted 7.6 million viewers, down by a million compared to 2014. But once catch-up and on-demand viewing was counted, the figure jumped to 9.6 million.

Similarly, Doctor Who recorded lower-than-expected audiences on Saturday, when Peter Capaldi's return to the Tardis drew 4.6 million people to BBC One.

But an analysis of last year's series by ratings body BARB showed that, on average, viewership increased by 39% in the week after an episode was broadcast.