BBC's badgers draw in more viewers than Big Brother

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But, surprisingly, it is not the Big Brother house which is grabbing viewers' attention so much as members of the real animal kingdom.

BBC Two's Springwatch, showing the nocturnal habits of badgers and birds, has proved such a hit it has overtaken E4's live Big Brother coverage.

Badgers are beating a bubbly Emily on Big Brother in the viewing stakes

Despite night owls Chanelle and Ziggy threatening to get jiggy under the covers of Big Brother 8, it is the farmland barn owls with their white, heart-shaped faces, dark eyes and golden tails which are proving the greater draw.

Springwatch viewers can watch 60 web-cams show a variety of winged and furry young. Buzzard chicks feed on voles, mice and rabbits, while a male blackbird feeds his young on worms.

Hosted by Simon King, Bill Oddie and Kate Humble, Springwatch runs in the evening every day on BBC One and Two, followed by Nightshift on BBC Two from midnight on Monday to Thursday.

Nightvision is employed to show badgers rooting around while subtitles detail what the small creatures are up to. Bill Oddie sleeps on a Devon farm while the surrounding wildlife stay up to all hours.

On Channel 4, Big Brother, now in its eighth series, runs hour-long shows from Sunday to Friday, followed by live streaming starting at a variety of times each night on E4.