Denise Welch Victory Beats Last Year's Final In Ratings-------------------------------- 
It's not just Denise Welch who'll be in a celebratory mood today - Channel 5 bosses will no doubt be ecstatic that last night's Celebrity Big Brother final attracted more viewers than last year.
Despite the series in general performing marginally worse than its predecessor, which starred Amy Childs, Jedward, Kerry Katona and winner Paddy Doherty, last night's closing episode performed slightly better.
3.01 million viewers tuned in on Thursday September 8, 2011, to see the Gypsy Weddings star emerge as champion, a figure beaten by a hairline last night as 3.04 million saw Loose Women star Welch beat Frankie Cocozza and Gareth Thomas.
The season finale of Celebrity Big Brother's Bit On The Side with Emma Willis also saw an upturn in viewership, with 1.54 million viewers seeing Welch's last on-air fight with Michael Madsen. Only 1 million saw the last episode last year.
Last night's final attracted double the audience of former host Davina McCall's Million Pound Drop on Channel 4, which reached 1.44 million in the 9pm timeslot.
EntertainmentWise