Last night's first instalment of the jungle-set reality series drew 6.6m viewers and a 28% share, between 8-9pm last night.
A second 30-minute episode at 10pm was watched by 6.2m viewers and secured a 30% share, beating Channel 4's drama series 'Without a Trace' and BBC Two's 'The Graham Norton Show'.
However, the sixth series of 'I'm a Celebrity...' pulled in 7.2m viewers at the same stage last year. Overall, the last series averaged 8.1m viewers and a 34% share.
Last night's viewers witnessed the introduction of pantomime stalwart Christopher Biggins as a surprise contestant.
The main action so far has centred on a love-hate relationship between PR guru Lynne Franks and former model Janice Dickinson; a flirtatious relationship between actor Marc Bannerman and singer Cerys Matthews; and soap actress Gemma Atkinson's penchant for wearing revealing bikinis.
Elsewhere, BBC One drama 'Waterloo', starring Neil Morrissey, attracted 5m viewers and a 21% share in the 8-9pm slot.
At the same time on BBC Two, 'Autumnwatch' with Bill Oddie, drew 3.3m viewers and a 14% share.
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