The seventh series, which has the most housemates and the longest run, pulled in a peak of 8.1m viewers and a 36.6% share of viewing.
The 9pm kick-off attracted an average of 7m viewers and a 30.8% audience share, and a 46% share of the 16–34 age audience.
E4 did well also, with 'Big Brother's Big Mouth' scoring 1.6m in one of its highest-performing programmes ever.
In 2004, Big Brother 5 had a peak of 7.6m while Big Brother's 2000 debut had an average of 3.6m.
'Big Brother 7' had the nation scratching its retinas last night as a cast of 14, including a goldigger, a 'geezer bird', a male model on heat, a 'no friends' veggie and a gay Canadian, entered the new-look claustrophobic house.
The 9pm launch show introduced the band of housemates, out of which a winner will have to keep viewers onside over 13 weeks to walk away with the £100,000 prize and inevitable tabloid life.
In the first twist tonight, the housemates will be asked to pick two to go to the diary room. The pair will be told they are the leaders of the 'The Big Brotherhood', a group immune from the first eviction next Friday and entitled to special privileges in the house. Over the next few days Big Brother will instruct the pair to select other housemates to join The Big Brotherhood.
First through the doors was 20 year-old Bonnie, a self-confessed 'geezer bird' from Loughborough who claims to have stripped naked in a pub after 25 pints of Tennants.
Pete from south London, 24, is a cross-dressing Tourette's Syndrome-suffering singer who wanted to be on the show "to reach the top of my spiral to heaven and shine again".
Third in was posh George from Chelsea, a 19 year-old college drop-out, drinking partner to Jack and Kelly Osbourne and nephew to the Duke of Sutherland. He is also related to the Royal Family.
Shahbaz from Glasgow describes himself as a "wacky Paki poof" who despite being 37 has never had a boyfriend.
Claiming to have the largest breast implants in the UK at size 30M, 35-year old Leah from Nottingham is a model who has spent £35,000 on plastic surgery.
Imogen from South Wales, 23, is a former Miss Wales and currently a bar hostess. She has promised she will never have sex in the Big Brother house.
Likely to see this as a challenge is male model and Vernon Kay lookalike Mikey, who says his penis controls his brain. He's also a 22-year-old Scouse software developer.
Dawn from Birmingham is the oldest in the house at 38 and a teetotal vegetarian who is heavily into animal rights. She loves her own company, saying "I was born alone, I will die alone".
Glyn is an 18 year-old lifeguard from North Wales who would like to be reincarnated as himself, wants to be the first Page 3 male model and planned to paint a picture of lesbian popstars Tatu for his A-level art exam.
'Sexual, passionate and hostile' – that's 33-year old gay waiter Richard from Canada.
Grace, 20, from London, is a children's dance teacher who is a self-confessed Sloane Ranger.
Chinese-born Lisa is 27 and grew up in Manchester. She describes herself as "wild, crazy, sexy" and apparently swears, burps and farts a lot. She is also very loud.
Sezer is a 26-year old Turkish Cypriot from London who went from being a tea boy in the City to owning a trading company at the age of 19. He is also a boxing champion, having last won a British lightweight title last year. A Chelsea fan, he has spent £60,000 partying in the last five months.
Last to enter the house was Nikki, a 24-year old Harrods promo girl who wants to marry a footballer because she won't be happy until she's rich, and calls buses "peasant wagons".
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