That brings up an interesting question, about BBC shows airing on American TV. I was pretty sure The Avengers was aired over here pretty close to its airing in the UK, but now I'm not sure.

Space: 1999 did too, but that was in syndication, not primetime. Maybe The Avengers was too?

I guess I'm wondering how many times this might have happened before, even if Merlin breaks a record this time doing it.