Alex 'Rocky' Reid left the CBB compound as the winner of CB7 last night accompanied by a host of cheers and impressive pyrotechnics. But what is the future now for Celebrity Big Brother?

Reid being crowned as winner of CBB7 ended what I personally believe has been a vintage run for the series.

Banter, Bible reading and bitching (and a spot of Vinnie Jones and Stephen Baldwin playing Countdown!) have been just some of the highlights of the run.

At the very start of this series (as I mentioned in my blog) early viewing figures showed that the ratings for the launch show peaked at 6.72m (a 24.1% share)*. This figure was an increase on the ratings for the launch show of CBB last year. Broadcast on a Friday, CBB6 in 2009 received 5.27m (a 21.8% share) for its first night. And, with CBB7 in full swing, ratings continued to stick at around the 3 million mark each night.

The good ratings and positive public and press reaction alike for CBB7 has apparently not gone unnoticed by Channel 5.

Website guardian.co.uk has reported that although the impressive figures have not been enough to tempt Channel 4 to rethink its decision to axe Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother when its deal with Endemol expires in September - Richard Woolfe, controller of Channel Five, is more open-minded. Wolfe has reportedly been quoted as saying: "Of course we'd be interested".

So could Channel 5 be the saviour of CBB? It's probably too early to say. Woolfe and any other parties interested in picking up either the January or summer versions of BB are likely to argue that the show needs a break first. Personally I think that they should keep the momentum going. There has been renewed interest in CBB this year; but a break could arguably see a large percentage of fans losing interest.

Of course, there are lots of practical considerations to be made before Channel 5 or any other channel considers picking up the show. And, I would argue, these are considerations that need to be made very soon.

It is no secret that planning for CBB begins in around June each year. That, I would imagine, means any broadcaster wanting to pick up the show has around five months to sign with Endemol.

If the show is to take a break, then this might have to see the current house set (which is located on top of the only surviving exterior water tank at Elstree Studios) having to be demolished. After all, Endemol might have to pay to keep it standing at the historic complex. And I can't imagine the aforementioned production company being willing to do this while the show is out of commission for, say, one or two years. This, in my humble opinion, is why it would make sense for the show to continue next year. This surely would be the most organised and financially viable way of continuing the show.

I hope Channel Five or another channel picks up the series and gives the strong band of CBB and BB fans (including me) what they crave. I'll be interested to see what happens next. I don’t think that this is the end of the line for CBB.

In the meantime, I have loved CBB7 and look forward to BB11 taking place at Elstree Studios this summer.

* Ratings Source: Digital Spy/Attentional