Big Brother, at its peak, has enjoyed audiences of 10 million. However, in recent years, viewer figures have fallen. Big Brother 10, the previous series, averaged 2.5 million in the officials; over one million down on 3.6m for Big Brother 9. Figures a far cry from the 4.7 million who enjoyed Big Brother 7, or the 5.8 million who saw series 3.
Like all shows, our Big Brother grew a little old. But he still maintained a fight to the end – and we witness it now. How will the final series of the show fare this year? Will viewers feel nostalgic enough to get into it this year? The return of the live feed may help to improve the show’s ratings figures, we hope. Check our handy table to find out the latest ratings and averages at a glance.
Big Brother 11 (2010) – Overnight/Unofficial Ratings
These figures are from overnight data which does not take timeshift and video on demand into account. We’ll keep you posted on the official ratings as they spill in.
The bold figure is the number in millions who watched the broadcast, including viewers on Channel 4 +1. In brackets you can see where in its slot the show came, and its percentage of the audience.
| Week » | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| Saturday | 2.1m 3rd 10% |
2.0m 3rd 10% |
1.7m 3rd 10% |
2.1m 3rd 10% |
2.0m 3rd 10% |
2.1m 3rd 10% |
2.0m 3rd 9% |
2.1m 3rd 10% |
1.8m 3rd 9% |
1.7m 3rd 8% |
2.1m 2nd 10% |
|
| Sunday | 3.0m 3rd 12% |
2.6m 3rd 11% |
2.5m 4th 10% |
2.9m 3rd12% |
2.0m 3rd 7% |
2.3m 4th 11% |
2.5m 4th 10% |
2.4m 4th 10% |
2.3m 4th 9% |
2.5m 2nd 10% |
2.7m 3rd 11% |
|
| Monday | 2.4m 2nd 13% |
2.3m 3rd 13% |
2.2m 2nd 13% |
2.2m 3rd 10% |
2.1m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 3rd 11% |
2.5m 2nd 13% |
2.4m 2nd 13% |
2.3m 2nd 13% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.8m 2nd 15% |
|
| Tuesday | 2.5m 2nd 15% |
2.5m 2nd 14% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.7m 2nd 15% |
2.3m 2nd 13% |
2.7m 2nd 15% |
2.6m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.3m 2nd 13% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
4.1m Won 18% |
|
| Wednesday | 5.0m Won 22%1 |
2.6m 3rd 11% |
2.5m 3rd 11% |
2.9m 3rd 13% |
2.0m 3rd 8% |
2.6m 2nd 14% |
2.7m 2nd 15% |
2.5m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.3m 2nd 13% |
2.5m Won 17% |
|
| Thursday | 3.1m 2nd 17% |
2.8m 2nd 12% |
2.4m 3rd 11% |
2.4m 3rd 14% |
2.3m 3rd 10% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.6m 2nd 15% |
2.6m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 2nd 14% |
2.3m 2nd 13% |
2.8m 2nd 17% |
|
| Friday | 2.6m 3rd 12% |
2.7m 2nd 13% |
2.3m 3rd 11% |
2.3m 3rd 10% |
2.6m 3rd 13% |
2.8m 3rd 13% |
2.5m 3rd 12% |
2.7m 3rd 12% |
2.6m 3rd 12% |
2.6m 3rd 12% |
3.1m 3rd 14% |
|
| 2.2m 2nd 13% |
2.5m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 2nd 15% |
2.5m 2nd 14% |
2.5m 2nd 15% |
2.6m 2nd 18% |
2.4m 2nd 15% |
2.4m 2nd 15% |
3.0m Won 20% |
||||
| Week Average | 2.9m 14% |
2.4m 12% |
2.4m 12% |
2.4m 12% |
2.3m 13% |
2.5m 13% |
2.5m 13% |
2.4m 13% |
2.3m 12% |
2.6m 14% |
2.9m 14% |
|
| Series Average | 2.5 million (13%) | |||||||||||
Notes
- The launch show peaked at 5.7 million viewers.
Big Brother Ratings Review
Big Brother is a show that used to fluctuate from year to year, but has seen a steady decline since 2007. Kicking off in 2000 with modest figures, it rapidly grew to become an enormously popular cult show, ending with a series high of 9.5 million viewers- at the time, ranked as the most watched Channel 4 show ever.
Big Brother 2 also delivered with an impressive average of 4.5 million viewers; on par with the first series. There wasn’t a meteoric rise in the ratings as the series went on (which was witnessed in BB1), but the ratings were consistent, suggesting viewers were not tiring of the format.
BB3 proved to be the peak of the show’s success, averaging a whopping 5.8 million viewers. The show was breaking all sorts of records for Channel 4, as the final became the most watched show on Channel 4 ever with 10 million viewers tuning in to see Kate announced winner- this record still stands eight years later.
The following year, BB4 saw a big drop in viewers as the housemates could not capture the public’s interest- 4.6m viewers tuned in to watch the series, with the final attracting fewer viewers than any other previous final.
A revamped evil Big Brother returned, and series 5 brought back the viewers. 7 million people watched ‘Fight Night’, making it one of the most watched highlights shows ever. The good mix of housemates and exciting tasks and twists meant that the series broke the 5 million barrier for the second time. The final was watched by an impressive 9 million viewers.
BB6 did not live up to the previous year’s success, as the ratings decreased to 4.6m- still good ratings for Channel 4, but underwhelming compared to its predecessor.
BB7 arrived and the ratings rose. The series was consitently averaging above 4.5m, even hitting the 6m barrier on the odd ocassion. The selection of housemates and twists earned a positive reaction by fans, and this was reflected in the final as 8.2 million watched Pete Bennett crowned as winner.
The following year after the CBB5 fiasco, BB8 returned with a whimper. Only one show throughout the series topped 6m viewers (the launch). The housemate selection was poor, twists were unoriginal and the series was criticised by both fans and the media. Viewers turned off in their droves as BB8 dropped to a series average of 3.9 million – at the time, the least watched series ever.
BB9 returned with the lowest live launch figures yet, and throughout the seriest the ratings hit all-time lows. Belinda’s eviction was the least watched ever, with just 3m tuning in. Although the ratings were not up to previous year’s standards, no sharp decline was seen a la BB8. The final was witnessed by 5.4m as Rachel Rice won. The entire series averaged 3.6m – the lowest rated series at the time.
BB10 arrived amidst rumours the show was to be axed from Channel 4. It returned with 5.5 million viewers, but would never see figures like that again. By the end of the first week, and including the launch, it was averaging just 2.9 million – by Week 5 it had fallen to 2.3 million. Viewing picked up slightly in Week 6, peaking at 2.9 million in Week 11 – but the series never took off, averaging 2.5 million for its final week and overall. The finale was the only time since the first week the show broke the 3m barrier, attracting 3.1m and 3.4m for the two episodes in which Sophie was crowned winner.
With a feeling of nostalgia around as the show enters its final year, will the last ever series experience a ratings boost or continue its decline to its end? We’ll soon find out!
