Record viewers for Big Brother launch night

The opening night of the seventh series of Big Brother set a new record when more than eight million people tuned in.

A peak of 8.1m people, 36.6% of those watching television at the time, watched the new housemates enter the house.

It was the highest ratings since Big Brother began in 2000. The show attracted an average of 7 million viewers and a 30.8% audience share.

Angela Jain, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Big Brother, said, "This heralds the most fantastic kick start to Big Brother yet.

"As always, there are many twists and turns ahead, among them the golden ticket winner, and we remain as committed as ever to making this year's Big Brother as entertaining as the rest."