The return of Celebrity Big Brother debuted to 2.8 million viewers, ITV has said.
The reboot of the reality show, which saw stars including Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Fern Britton join the Princess of Wales’ uncle Gary Goldsmith in the house, peaked at 3.2 million viewers across all devices, according to overnight ratings.
The celebrity version of Big Brother follows the rebooted civilian iteration, which launched on ITV in October 2023 after it was axed by Channel 5 amid a ratings slump in 2018.
News of the show’s viewing figures comes as some viewers expressed disappointment with the new series lineup, admitting they had to resort to Google to learn about most of the housemates.
Osbourne, Walsh and Britton lead the famous faces into the TV compound alongside TV personality David Potts, actor Bradley Riches and reality TV star Lauren Simon.
Broadcaster Zeze Millz, chef Levi Roots, Marisha Wallace, Corrie star Colson Smith, Love Island winner Ekin-Su CülcüloÄlu and Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin also entered the house.
However, viewers criticised the lineup and branding it “dreadful”, with one commenting on X, formerly Twitter: “Clearly they ran out of budget after booking Sharon and Louis.”
“Am I missing something? Kate Middleton's uncle in the Big Brother house?! How did he become a celebrity?” another questioned.
Additionally, one viewer remarked: “Louis Walsh explaining who all the Z-listers are to Sharon.”
The comments comes as Osbourne and Walsh, who appeared on X Factor alongside Simon Cowell for many years, reunited on TV as they became the first stars to enter the house and were tasked with a “secret mission”.
The pair were given a “secret lair” to judge the celebrities as they entered the house, and later, Osbourne was tasked with choosing three to place in the “danger zone” at risk from the first eviction.
The TalkTV star chose ITV2 Ibiza Weekender star Potts, British TV presenter Millz, and Goldsmith – the uncle of the Princess of Wales.
Tuesday’s episode will see Osbourne choose one of the three housemates to automatically face the public vote this week.
Celebrity Big Brother continues at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
