BBC1's Rellik suffers ratings crash as ITV's Liar stays strong

The shows are both created by screenwriting duo the Williams brothers, who were frustrated to discover that they would air concurrently, on BBC1 and ITV, at 9pm on Monday nights. And something had to give.

Following this week's second instalments, overnight ratings reveal that Rellik has dropped more than 1.5 million viewers this week, coming in at an average of 2.08m, while Liar on ITV climbed from 4.75m to 4.98m, with a further 38,000 viewers watching the show at 10pm on ITV+1.

While the figures don't account for on-demand viewing via BBC iPlayer and the ITV Hub, they are a strong indication that Liar is significantly more popular than its sister show on the BBC.

Rellik, a crime drama told in reverse chronological order, was a head-scratcher from the get-go, and many Radio Times readers reported that they were not drawn in by the series premiere. Last night's particularly "confusing" second episode saw many losing patience entirely.

Liar, on the other hand, has gripped viewers from the beginning with its he-said-she-said drama about an alleged date rape prompting much speculation and discussion on social media.

Check out the ratings for both shows below.

Liar week 1 - 4.75m / ITV +1 - 0.45

Liar week 2 - 4.98 /ITV +1 - 0.38

Rellik week 1 - 3.60

Rellik week 2 - 2.08

Liar airs Mondays at 9pm on ITV. Rellik airs at the same time on BBC1