Dave has shaken up its daytime schedule in response to the coronavirus lockdown.
Most of the UK population are isolating at home due to the pandemic, leading to increased ratings for TV channels across the board.
According to Broadcast, daytime ratings for UKTV channels including Dave have risen by 26.5% in recent weeks, leading to a change in the scheduling strategy.
Factual programmes such as Border Force and Storage Wars have been dropped in favour of repeats of Red Dwarf and Top Gear, while shows such as Would I Lie To You? and Room 101 have been moved into earlier 7pm slots.
Steve North, comedy and entertainment manager at UKTV, told the magazine: "People's lives have been disrupted and there is a need for their spirits to be buoyed. That's where UKTV comes in."
Last week Dave recorded an impressive audience of 983,000 for the premiere of its new feature-length Red Dwarf episode 'The Promised Land'.
Neil Wilkes
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