5.6 MILLION WATCHED CURLING TRIUMPH

By Ian Marland, PA News

About 5.6 million television viewers watched the British women's curling team clinch Olympic gold, it emerged on Friday.

The figures were recorded in the 15 minutes up to midnight when Rhona Martin delivered the team's nail-biting final stone.

The total represented 49 per cent of the viewing public between 11.45pm and midnight, according to the BBC, which televised the event.

In Scotland, nearly as many people watched the last minutes of the curling final as did the Rangers v FC Feyenoord Uefa cup tie earlier in the evening.

A BBC Scotland spokesman said the figures were ``remarkable'' considering the passion for football.

Whereas 780,000 viewers tuned in for the football north of the border, 760,000 watched the curling.

The previous best UK viewing figures for the same late-night slot was recorded in 1994 when 3.3 million people watched In Bed With Madonna.