Downton Abbey belies fast-tracking motives BRITISH drama Downton Abbey proves overseas shows do not have to be fast-tracked to protect audience numbers after the show claimed the No.2 spot in the ratings on Sunday night. The second episode of the Seven Network series, which aired about five months ago in the UK, pulled 1.216 million viewers. It was second only to Seven News (1.231 million). Last Sunday the return of Downton Abbey attracted 1.331 million viewers. Similarly, Seven's other overseas hit Revenge is still doing big numbers despite a five-month lag behind the US. Revenge pulled more than 1.3 million viewers last Monday. An interview with troubled actor Matthew Newton helped the Nine Network's 60 Minutes finish in third place (1.214 million) on Sunday night. 60 Minutes was also credited with an additional 30-minute episode, 60 Minutes Extra, which pulled 909,000 viewers for the 8.30-9pm timeslot. Its rival, Sunday Night on Seven, was fourth with 1.188 million viewers. Seven's The Force - Behind The Line (1.179 million) was fifth and Nine News (1.171 million) was sixth. The Block: All Stars pulled an encouraging 1.119 million viewers for Nine while Border Security - Australia's Frontline attracted 1.098 million viewers for Seven. Network Ten's only Top 10 appearance was its crime series Elementary, which attracted 899,000 viewers. The big disappointment for Ten was the performance of MasterChef: The Professionals. The cooking series is being fried by Seven's My Kitchen Rules during the week and its only reprieve has been Sunday nights when it has been able to pull million-plus audiences. However only 859,000 viewers tuned in to see Marco Pierre White and Matt Preston don their spotless Driza-Bones for MasterChef: The Professionals's Snowy Mountains challenge on Sunday. Seven News (Seven) 1.231 million Downton Abbey (Seven) - 1.216 million 60 Minutes (Nine) - 1.214 million Sunday Night (Seven) - 1.188 million The Force - Behind The Line (Seven) - 1.179 million Nine News (Sunday) - 1.171 million The Block: All Stars (Nine) - 1.119 million 8 Border Security - Australia's Front Line (Seven) - 1.098 million 60 Minutes Extra (Nine) - 909,000 Elementary (Ten) 899,000