In the UK, the rights to show "Dallas" had been bought by the BBC and quickly became a ratings winner, drawing audiences of over 20 million. However, in 1985 the corporation refused to pay $60,000 per-episode asking price for the next (ninth) series. Their commercial rival, the ITV franchise holder Thames Television unexpectedly stepped in and met the price. The BBC reacted angrily, pulling the current series mid-run, and threatening to broadcast the remaining episodes simultaneously with Thames Television's intended scheduling in November of that year. It caused a furore in the press and a question on the matter was even asked at Westminster in Parliament. The BBC relented, and re-commenced their broadcasts of the current series. Ultimately, pressure from the regulatory Independent Broadcasting Authority forced Thames Television to back down on their plans, and sell the latest series that they had bought (season ten) back to the BBC, at a loss. "Dallas" continued to be broadcast on the BBC, being shown on BBC1 until the end of the series run until 1991.