The big budget WW2 series co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks had about a quarter of the TV audience and fought against such small screen heavyweights as Ab Fab (6.2m), They Think It's All Over (6m) and the Bill (4.7m).

The episode featured a cowardly cameo Friends' David Schwimmer, and even Hanks himself although the bulk of the cast were unknowns. Friday's episode featured Lock Stock's Dexter Fletcher.

Despite walking into a barrage of press ridicule for pulling the 10 part, UKP7m ußer series from prime time Beeb1 to tea break Beeb2 (it followed Gardeners World on Friday) a spokesman said, "For a launch, it attracted a good audience, so it's a great start."