I’m A Celebrity Attracts 11 Million Viewers To ITV1

Glamour models, former pop-stars and retired footballers proved something of a winning combination for ITV1 last night, with a peak of almost 11 million viewers tuning in for the first episode of the new series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Audiences for the programme peaked at 10.9 million when Razor Ruddock and Jordan came through their first bushtucker trial with flying colours by donning perspex helmets filled with cockroaches, stick insects and eels.

Unofficial overnight viewing figures from BARB show that an average of 10.1 million reality-TV fans tuned in for the whole show, which secured an impressive 41.1% share of prime-time viewing between 9pm and 10.30pm last night.

A spokesperson for ITV said: “We are absolutely delighted that the new series has got off to such a flying start. Last night’s programme showed that there’s some real potential for an entertaining couple of weeks with this mix of celebrities. The beauty of a show like this is that anything could happen – and probably will!”

The first instalment of the series beat off competition from BBC One’s Judge John Deed, which attracted an average of 6.2 million viewers and secured a 24.3% audience share between 8.30pm and 10pm. This was followed by the News At Ten, which pulled in 5.2 million viewers and commanded 23% of the available audience.

Channel 4’s ongoing Spitfire Ace series, documenting the conditions of allied pilots during the Battle of Britain in 1941, attracted an average of just 2 million viewers and secured a 1.7% audience share between 9pm and 10pm.

The first series of I’m A Celebrity, which was responsible for veteran DJ Tony Blackburn’s return to the limelight, proved a surprise success for ITV1, achieving an audience of almost 11 million viewers at its peak in September (see I’m A Celebrity Proves A Ratings Winner For ITV1).

This was followed up last April with a second run maintaining audiences in excess of 8 million. An average of 12.3 million viewers tuned into ITV1 for the series finalé, which saw former England cricketer, Phil Tufnell, crowned king of the jungle (see I’m A Celebrity Finale Peaks With 13 Million Viewers).

ITV: 020 7843 8000 www.itv.com

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