[Gavin]

HUGE HEADLINE IN THE DAILY MAIL:

Celebrity Big Brother launch night beaten in the ratings by (wait for it)... The Antiques Roadshow

It was billed as the most explosive Celebrity Big Brother series ever.
But the live launch of the show's much-hyped final series was trumped by Fiona Bruce and her colleagues on the gentle Antiques Roadshow, it has emerged.

The Channel 4 programme managed an average of 5.8million viewers - 300,000 fewer than BBC1's flagship Sunday night show, despite the relatively unremarkable items being featured.

Big Brother executives had hoped there would be controversy and arguments caused by putting in two men who are most famous for dating model Jordan. The pair, supposedly, had come to blows on New Year's Eve at a party at her Surrey house.

But, unfortunately for desperate TV bosses, both men - former teen pop star Dane Bowers and cross-dressing cage fighter Alex Reid - promptly denied they had fought at all, saying Mr Bowers had been attacked by two unknown men while waiting for a taxi.

And to prove the point, the pair - who had been the subjects of downmarket newspapers for days - were even filmed in the house hugging each other.

Speaking in the diary room, Mr Bowers, who was sporting a bruise on his forehead that had been covered with make-up, dismissed the alleged incident.
He said: 'I don't think it's worth getting into that exactly. Just because Alex and I were in the same vicinity, Alex's name was brought into it as well and suddenly it turned into me and Alex fighting.'
It was just one of many disappointments for Channel 4.

They had been desperate for this year's show to go out with a bang, spending huge sums on celebrities to appear after it was announced this will be the final series, following steadily declining ratings in recent years.
One of the most high profile was Ekatarina Ivanova.

But when she was asked about her turbulent relationship with Ronnie Wood and her decision to enter the house, the 21-year-old simply shrugged her shoulders before replying: 'He's still a friend, so supports it'.

Sunday night's opening show pulled in slightly more viewers than last year's launch, but still lost out Antiques Roadshow, which drew 6.1million when it was shown an hour earlier at 8pm.
And the numbers were still way down from the highest ever figures of 8.8million, which came at the height of the race row between Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody in 2007.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...#ixzz0bh1FAZUK

I agree with the article! The show flopped. It was the least watched launch of CBB EVER according to share %. It didn't even beat Antiques Roadshow! It was way down from what it was getting 3 years ago, and nowhere near 8.8m.

The Daily Mail has got it spot on. CBB7 is set to be a huge failure. I predict tonight's show was MILLIONS lower than the launch.