BBC Four scores highest ratings

Ian Hislop's Goes Off the Rails was watched by 1.3m viewers

BBC Four scored its highest ever ratings on Thursday, thanks to a night of train-themed programming.

The channel was boosted by Goes Off the Rails - fronted by Ian Hislop - which attracted 1.3 million viewers.

The programme examined the impact of the 1963 Beeching Report, which cut the UK's railway network by a quarter,

It was BBC Four's most-watched factual programme ever and the second most popular show since the digital channel's launch.

"It's fantastic that the unique coupling of Ian Hislop and railways was received so warmly by viewers, and that they responded to his wry but affectionate style," said BBC Four controller Janice Hadlow.

"The fact that the whole evening did so well shows that there's a real appetite for the eclecticism and intelligence which characterise BBC Four's seasons."

BBC Four's highest-rated programme was drama The Curse of Steptoe, which attracted 1.4 million viewers in March.