Los Angeles, March 3 (DPA) Comedian Jay Leno topped the television ratings on his return to a late night time slot after a brief foray into prime time talk shows ended in ratings failure, ratings figures showed Tuesday.

Leno's 'The Tonight Show' attracted 6.6 million viewers Monday night according to Nielsen ratings, handily beating main rival David Letterman, who was watched by 3.8 million viewers.

Leno's ratings were 25 percent above his average rating last year, but his debut was heavily advertised during NBC's hit coverage of the 2010 Olympic Games.