Viewers desert Big Brother final

Fewer viewers tuned in for this year’s final of Big Brother than last year, figures revealed today.

Channel 4 figures show that an audience of 5.3 million tuned in for the grand finale, 300,000 fewer than last year.

The BB9 final show, broadcast between 10pm and 11.05pm, saw surprise winner Rachel Rice scoop the 2008 winner’s title.

It was watched by 5.3 million viewers, a drop from the 5.6 million who watched Brian Belo voted winner in last year’s final programme.

This year’s finale drew just over a million more viewers than watched the first 8pm eviction show. This first show, in which Darnell Swallow, Rex Newmark and Sara Folino were evicted, was watched by 4.2 million people.

It is the ninth Big Brother since its first broadcast in 2000 and has been called the most unpopular series yet due to the drop in ratings but Channel 4 said it is still one of their “highest ratings programmes”.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: “This year’s Big Brother has regularly delivered an audience of around 3 million viewers – even after nine years on air, it is still right up there among our highest ratings programmes.

“No other programme delivers us such a consistent, sizeable audience and we are incredibly pleased with it’s performance.

“We look forward to celebrating 10 years of Big Brother next year”.

BB9 drew to a close last night with the final vote crowning Rachel Rice, a 24-year-old trainee teacher, from Torfaen, south Wales, the 2008 winner.

She beat hotly tipped blind Mikey Hughes to the top spot, who came second with 49.7% of the public vote.