Big Brother's viewing figures down
12:40pm Friday 5th September 2008
Big Brother lost 300,000 viewers this year, figures have shown, making it the most unpopular series ever.
The latest instalment of the flagship Channel 4 show, which comes to an end on Friday night, has been seen by an average of 3.2 million viewers, compared with 3.5 million last year.
It has attracted a 15.8% share of TV viewers, compared with 17% in 2007 for the series won by 20-year-old data entry clerk Brian Belo.
Previous years have seen housemates such as "Nasty" Nick, Jade Goody and Portuguese transsexual Nadia Almada capture the public's imagination.
The Big Brother slide has occurred since the high of 2002, when 5.8 million watched Goody state that "East Angular" was abroad.
Viewing figures have plummeted since the launch night of this year's reality show in June, which attracted 5.3 million viewers and a 25% share.
Big Brother and E4 editor David Williams defended the series, saying: "Big Brother is unique in that each year the format can deliver something new for viewers.
"For a ninth series we've had never-been-seen-before characters who have produced their own iconic Big Brother moments, including some of the most unexpected relationships and friendships ever, which, for Big Brother fans, results in a vintage year of viewing.
"We look forward to celebrating 10 years of Big Brother next year."
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Big Brother lost 300,000 viewers this year, figures have shown
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