Last night Channel 5 received one of the highest viewing figures in its history thanks to the launch of Celebrity Big Brother 2011.

Over 5 million viewers tuned into the live launch of the show that was screened on the channel for the very first time.

The show hosted Brian Dowling who did a great job on the night, saw 11 celebrities enter the house. They included X Factor twins Jedward, Reality star Kerry Katona and American Pie actress Tara Reid.

The audience peaked at 10PM with 5.6 million viewers tuning in, making the Channel’s most watched non-sporting programme ever to air in its 14-year history. It also smashed the slot average for the channel, which previously stood at 1.29m viewers for the year to date.