More than 8 million people watched the live launch of Big Brother 8 last night on Channel 4.

6.2 million people caught the start of the programme, but the figure rose to over 8 million towards the end as Nicky and Carole entered the house.

Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Big Brother and Head of E4, Angela Jain said, “This heralds a fantastic start to Big Brother. We remain as committed as ever to making this year’s series the most entertaining yet.”