Gold didn’t have any vacancies last night at 9pm as its two-hour documentary on classic sitcom Fawlty Towers gained 350,000 viewers (1.8% share), the channel’s highest-ever ratings for an original commission.

It peaked at 10pm with 420,000 (1.9%) at 10pm.

The two-hour documentary Fawlty Towers: Re-opened, which marked the 30th anniversary of the show’s final episode, drew another 100,000 on the timeshifted Gold+1.

So far this year Gold has averaged 108,000 (0.6%) in that slot.

It is the channel’s most watched show since it was rebranded on 7 October last year, outperforming the film Bruce Almighty which gained a total audience (including +1) of 428,000 (1.9%) on 4 May in an 8pm slot.

The show was a huge hit for upmarket viewers with ABC1s making up 62% of the audience. A quarter of the audience were aged between 16 and 34.

While Fawlty Towers: Re-opened made its mark with the viewers the show faced the might of some big hitting digital shows.

As the fifth series of Lost on Sky 1 starts to draw to a conclusion a strong 730,000 (3.2%) tuned in for an hour at 9pm with Fringe at 10pm on 355,000 (2.3%).

BBC3’s most-watched show of the day was Family Guy at 10pm, which entertained 668,000 (3.5%) for half an hour. Earlier at 9pm Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps amused 594,000 (2.6%).

Supernatural over on ITV2 also kept up its strong run with 494,000 (2.2%) over an hour at 9pm and 137,000 watching on ITV2+1. E4’s “first-look” at the new series of Desperate Housewives at 10pm gained 418,000 (2.5%).

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