Big Brother (British TV series)
Big Brother is the British version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol in 1997.[1] Broadcast yearly from 18 July 2000 to 5 November 2018, and returned on 8 October 2023, the show follows the format of other national editions, in which a group of contestants, known as "housemates", live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. Live television cameras and personal audio microphones continuously monitor them. Throughout the competition, housemates are "evicted" from the house by public televoting. The last remaining housemate wins the competition and a cash prize. The series takes its name from the oppressive character known by that name in George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
This article is about the British reality TV show. For other uses, see Big Brother (disambiguation).Big Brother
United Kingdom
English
20
1468
- 3 Mills Studios, Bow, London (2000–2001)
- Elstree Studios, Borehamwood (2002–2018)
- Garden Studios, Park Royal, London (2023–present)
- Bazal (series 1–2)
- Endemol UK Productions (series 3–6, Teen)
- Endemol West (Panto)
- Brighter Pictures (series 7–10)
- Remarkable Television (series 11, Ultimate)
- Initial (series 12–present)
18 July 2000 –
10 September 2010
9 September 2011 –
5 November 2018
8 October 2023 –
present
The series premiered in 2000 on Channel 4 and immediately became a ratings hit.[2] It featured a 24-hour live feed in which fans could view inside the house at any time. Big Brother aired for eleven series on Channel 4, followed by one final special edition, Ultimate Big Brother, which ended in 2010.[3][4] Channel 5 acquired the rights to the series, and relaunched it in 2011.[5] On the day of the nineteenth series launch in 2018, Channel 5 announced that Big Brother would not be returning to the channel after the end of that series.[6] In 2020, Channel 4 announced that previous episodes of Big Brother would be shown on E4 in a series titled Big Brother: Best Shows Ever to mark the 20th anniversary of the programme.[7] Two years later, in August 2022, it was announced by ITV that Big Brother would return for a new series on ITV2 the following year. The show was relaunched for a second time in 2023.[8]
The programme was initially presented by Davina McCall MBE from its inception in July 2000 until its cancellation by Channel 4 ten years later. McCall declined to return as presenter following the programme's move to Channel 5, and the role was taken up by former series winner Brian Dowling. He remained as presenter throughout the twelfth and thirteenth series.[9] Emma Willis later replaced Dowling from the fourteenth series onwards until its cancellation from Channel 5.[10] On 25 April 2023, ITV announced AJ Odudu and Will Best as hosts of both the main show and a "nightly spin-off" show. Marcus Bentley served as the off-screen narrator of all series since the show premiered in 2000. Big Brother has had numerous spin-off series occur since its premiere, most notably Celebrity Big Brother, a shorter version of the main series wherein the cast is composed solely of celebrities. Numerous other spin-off series that are not competition based have aired, with Dermot O'Leary,[11] Russell Brand,[12] George Lamb,[13] Emma Willis and Rylan Clark all presenting spin-offs.
House
For the first two series, the house was located in Bow, London, near the 3 Mills Studios.[115] After planning permission expired in 2002, Newham London Borough Council ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat.[116] The house had been located at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since Big Brother 3 in 2002.[116] Following a break in during the second series, it was reported that security had increased to the point that the house was more secure than Buckingham Palace.[117][118][119] The interior of the house has changed each year, reflecting a certain theme or twist in the game. The fifth series, which featured stricter rules and consequences, featured a harsh colour scheme and a claustrophobic setting.[120][121] The third series featured a "Rich and Poor" twist, thus a row of bars was placed in the centre of the house to divide the housemates.[122][123] The diary room features a different design each year, and was frequently the last room of the house to be revealed to the public.[124] Each series has featured a garden in the house, which has included outdoor furniture, a Jacuzzi, and on some occasions other luxuries.[125][126] The eighth series featured an "inside out" theme for the house, thus items such as the refrigerator were located in the garden.[127][128]
On 2 February 2016, a planning application to Hertsmere Borough Council revealed that Endemol had applied to build a new extension to the house, which would be its biggest renovation since it was built in 2002. The documents teased a second house with another garden and a new exterior set and interview studio.[129] The old eviction set and eye studio were both demolished following the conclusion of Celebrity Big Brother 17.[130] It was later announced on 18 March 2016 that permission had been granted with no objections. Despite the overall extension, the new outdoor set was smaller than before, holding a capacity of just 400 compared to 470 beforehand.[131]
From Celebrity Big Brother 19 in 2017 until the show's cancellation on Channel 5 the following year, "The Other House" used in the seventeenth regular series was referred to as "The Task Building" making it the house's third task room along with the small and large task room.[132]
In January 2019, two months after the conclusion of the nineteenth series, work began to demolish the house at Elstree Studios. On 17 February 2019, former presenter Emma Willis posted a photo on her Instagram account showing that demolition work on the house was complete.[133]
Following the announcement of the ITV reboot, speculation began as to where the new house would be built.[134][135] In May 2023, it was confirmed that the house would be located at Garden Studios in North London and included "versatile staging", as well as an "in-house virtual production studio".[136]
