Big Brother 2010 final draws 4 million viewers

The final of the last regular Channel 4 series of Big Brother attracted 4 million viewers last night, Tuesday 24 August. Big Brother 11's main series concluded with Josie Gibson winning the audience vote and being joined by 11 former housemates, including Ulrika Jonsson, Brian Dowling, Nick Bateman and Nadia Almada. They will stay in the house for a further two-and-a-half weeks of Ultimate Big Brother, at the end of which one will be voted the most popular contestant from all the 11 series and its celebrity spinoffs on Friday, 10 September. Big Brother: the Final attracted 3.931 million viewers and a 17.6% audience share over nearly three hours from 8pm. A further 145,000 (0.8%) watched an hour later on Channel 4 +1. This was well up on last year's Big Brother final, which averaged 2.6 million (12%) and 2.7 million (16%) across two separate instalments on Friday, 4 September. In 2008 the series nine final night double bill attracted 3.9 million and 4.7 million. The top-rating final was in 2002, with 5.8 million and 8 million. Last night's 9pm competition included BBC1 drama The Deep (3.198 million/13.6%, BBC HD 270,000/1.2%), BBC2's Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons (2.023 million/8.6%), ITV1/ITV1 HD's The Bill (3.414 million/14.5%) and Channel 5's CSI: Miami repeat (1.55 million/6.6%). Five main terrestrial analogue networks BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel Five (available in all UK homes with TV, except Channel 5, which reaches about 95%) BBC1 8pm: Holby City – 4.885 million/21.1% BBC2 8pm: The Great British Bake Off – 2.627 million/11.3% ITV1/ITV1 HD 8pm: New Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – 3.273 million/14.1% Channel 4 6.30pm: Hollyoaks – 1.049 million/5.9% Channel 5 8pm: Great Railway Adventures with Dan Cruickshank – 1.058 million/4.6%) Freeview/digital terrestrial TV free-to-air networks Available in 23.4m UK homes – 91.4% of total – as of 31/12/09. (Source: Ofcom digital progress report, Q4 2009) E4 6pm: Big Brother's Little Brother – 422,000 10.50pm: Big Brother's Big Mouth – 498,000 BBC3 9pm: Don't Tell the Bride – 756,000 All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, HD, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".