The Brit Awards notched up 5.4 million viewers on Wednesday night – a slight drop from last year’s ceremony.

The event, which featured a politically charged performance from Katy Perry, awards for the late David Bowie and tributes to George Michael, peaked at 6.2 million and claimed a 26% share of viewers.

Katy Perry performance
Katy Perry on stage (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

It was the most-watched show in its time slot, with BBC1 airing Who Do You Think You Are? and The Real Marigold Hotel and Channel 4 screening Location, Location, Location.

Last year, when an emotional Adele dominated the event and swore on air, 5.8 million viewers tuned in, peaking at 6.5 million.

Adele.
Adele (Ian West/PA)

In 2014, just 4.6 million watched the music awards on ITV, the lowest figure since 2006.

But the event recovered to 5.8 million the following year, when Madonna took a tumble on stage.

ITV said Wednesday night’s awards had a 46% share of 16 to 34-year-old viewers – the highest share for that age group of any programme broadcast on TV this year.