Lowest ratings recorded for BB final

Luke Anderson, 31, was crowned winner of the current Channel 5 series (David Fisher/Rex Features )

Big Brother drew its lowest-ever viewing figures for a final last night with less than two million watching.

Luke Anderson, 31, a man who was born a girl, was crowned winner of the current Channel 5 series.

The 9pm to 10.30pm show, which followed 70 days of nominations and evictions, was watched by a peak of 1.7 million and an average of 1.5 million viewers.

Last year's final, which was also presented by Brian Dowling, was seen by a peak of 2.2 million and an average of two million.

Meanwhile, Sharon's return to EastEnders on BBC1 peaked at 8.3 million during its first episode at 8pm and 7.1 million during the second at 9pm.

The last Big Brother final on Channel 4 averaged 3.9 million over two shows.

PA