[michael21]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...?newsfeed=true

Celebrity Big Brother is proving a hit for Channel 5's digital channel, 5*, with almost a million viewers tuning in to its live post-eviction show on Wednesday.

The reality show averaged 952,000 viewers, a 5.2% share of the audience, between 10pm and 11pm following Irish model Georgia Salpa's departure from the Big Brother house.

Channel 5's main Celebrity Big Brother show was watched by 2 million viewers, an 8.1% share, between 9pm and 10pm, rising to 2.1 million with Channel 5+1.

Celebrity Big Brother trailed in fifth out of the main channels, behind Channel 4's all-conquering One Born Every Minute, which had 2.8 million viewers, an 11.7% share, rising to 3.3 million with Channel 4+1.

The 9pm slot was won by BBC1's MasterChef, with 4.2 million viewers (17.6%) ahead of ITV1's FA Cup Football Live.

Football is usually a ratings winner for ITV1 but the third round replay between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City was not necessarily the most attractive of ties.

ITV1's coverage had 3.4 million viewers (14.8%) between 7.30pm and 10.15pm, rising to 3.5 million with ITV1+1.

Live coverage of the match itself, which kicked off at 8pm, averaged 3.8 million viewers.

Not quite ratings holy land

BBC2's The Crusades started its three-part series with a respectable 1.9 million viewers, an 8.4% share of the audience, between 9.30pm and 10.30pm.

It beat ITV1's News at Ten, which with a lowly inheritance from the FA Cup football could only manage 1.2 million viewers, a 6.3% share, rising to 1.3 million with ITV1+1.

Lack of appetite for foodie lineup

Channel 4's pairing of How To Cook Like Heston, featuring Heston Blumenthal, and The Fabulous Baker Brothers is not cooking up much excitement in viewers' living rooms. Or kitchens, presumably.

Both shows averaged 1.1 million viewers, rising to 1.2 million with Channel 4+1, with total audience shares of 5.3% and 5% respectively.

The Channel 4 pairing lost out to BBC2's Stargazing Live, which finished its three night run with 3 million viewers (12.9%) including 261,000 on the BBC HD channel.

At the same time on BBC1, DIY SOS: the Big Build, had 5.2 million viewers, 22.3% of the audience, BBC1's most watched programme of the day.

All ratings are Barb overnight figures, including live and same day timeshifted (recorded) viewing, but excluding on demand, +1 or other – unless otherwise stated. Figures for BBC1, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5 generally include ratings for their HD simulcast services, unless otherwise stated