The first episode of the new series of Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour won 5.6 million viewers on Sunday and a 25 per cent audience share, ITV bosses have confirmed.

The last series averaged 5.6 million viewers and a 23 per cent share of the viewing figures.

Endeavour, starring Shaun Evans as a young Morse, launched with a pilot episode in 2012 which got eight million viewers.