A repeat of a programme about Sir Bruce Forsyth was viewed by nearly double the audience who tuned into the hotly-anticipated Child Genius final.

One-off special When Miranda Met Bruce, which first aired four years ago, was added to the Saturday night schedule following the veteran entertainer’s death aged 89 on Friday.

The broadcast averaged 3.3 million viewers and peaked at 4.2 million during the 8.10pm to 9.15pm timeslot.

Channel 4’s Child Genius, which saw 12-year-old Rahul named the champion in a tense final showdown, drew in 1.8 million viewers, including those watching on Channel 4+ 1.

It aired with a slight overlap with BBC One’s Sir Bruce tribute, from 8pm until 9pm.

Viewers were delighted with the last-minute airing of the When Miranda Met Bruce, which saw comic Miranda Hart interview Sir Bruce about his 70 years in show business.

One viewer wrote on Twitter: “Just watched ‘When Miranda Met Bruce’. Well, that’s the best Saturday night in I’m gonna have this year! An absolute Legend! ThnQ Sir Bruce.”

Another said: “Lovely show on tonight on bbc1 called when Miranda met Bruce, it was recorded 2013 and as usual he was terrific. RIP Brucie you’ll be missed.”

Meanwhile, former Strictly Come Dancing head judge Len Goodman debuted his new game show Partners in Rhyme.

The fun programme, which sees contestants and celebrities having to guess clues based on rhymes, averaged 2.5 million viewers when it aired at 6.45pm on BBC One.