''Big Brother'' is the British version of the international
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
franchise ''
Big Brother'' created by producer
John de Mol
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert "John" de Mol Jr. (born 24 April 1955) is a Dutch Mass media, media Business magnate, tycoon. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa Network, Talpa. He created the reality television form ...
in 1997.
Broadcast yearly from 2000 to 2018, and due to return in 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. They are continuously monitored by live television cameras and personal audio microphones. Throughout the competition, housemates are "evicted" from the house by public
televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.
Broadcast contest televoting
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
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
's 1949 novel ''
Nineteen Eighty-Four
''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...
''.
The series premiered in 2000 on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and immediately became a ratings hit. 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
''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol.
''Ultimate Big Brother' ...
'', which ended in 2010.
Channel 5 acquired the rights to the series, and relaunched it in 2011. 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. 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. Two years later, on 1 August 2022, it was announced by
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
that ''Big Brother'' would return for a new series in 2023 on
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
.
The programme was initially presented by
Davina McCall
Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
from its inception until its cancellation by Channel 4. 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.
Emma Willis
Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM. later replaced Dowling from the fourteenth series onwards until its cancellation from Channel 5.
Marcus Bentley
Marcus Morgan Bentley (born 4 October 1967) is a British actor, broadcaster and voice-over artist. Bentley is most known for narrating the UK version of the Dutch reality television programme '' Big Brother'' since its inception in 2000, until ...
served as 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
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'', 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
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
,
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
,
George Lamb
George Martin Lamb (born 20 December 1979) is an English radio and television presenter, currently presenting ''Football Tonight'' on BT Sport. In 2012, Lamb presented the Channel 4 game show ''The Bank Job''. Lamb is the son of actor Larry Lam ...
,
Emma Willis
Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM. and
Rylan Clark-Neal
Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), known professionally as Rylan, is an English broadcaster and model. He finished in fifth place on the ninth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2012, and the following year, he won the eleventh series of ...
all presenting spin-offs.
History
Main series
Channel 4 (2000–2010)
The ''
Big Brother'' reality series was created by
John de Mol
Johannes Hendrikus Hubert "John" de Mol Jr. (born 24 April 1955) is a Dutch Mass media, media Business magnate, tycoon. De Mol is one of the men behind production companies Endemol and Talpa Network, Talpa. He created the reality television form ...
and premiered in
the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Following the success of the initial series, it was confirmed that editions for both the United Kingdom and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
were in the works.
In March 2000, it was revealed that the series would be broadcast by
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and
E4; casting began shortly afterward, and
Davina McCall
Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
was later revealed to be the presenter.
The
first series premiered on 18 July 2000, and ended when housemate
Craig Phillips
Craig Phillips (born 16 October 1971) is an English television personality and builder. He is known for winning the Big Brother (British series 1), first series of ''Big Brother (British TV series), Big Brother'' in 2000. He is trained as a bri ...
was crowned the winner after 64 days in the House.
The series proved to be a hit early in its run, leading to a
second series.
''Big Brother 2'' premiered on 25 May 2001, and continued the success of the previous series.
The series concluded on 27 July 2001, when
Brian Dowling was crowned the winner. The
third series premiered on 24 May 2002, and was the first series to feature a live premiere. Much like the previous series', the show lasted for 64 days, and saw
Kate Lawler
Kate Lawler (born 7 May 1980) is an English television personality, presenter, model and DJ. She became the first female winner of ''Big Brother UK'' after winning the third series of the reality series in 2002. Since ''Big Brother'', she has ...
win the prize. With the third series finding even more success than its predecessors, a
fourth series began on 23 May 2003. The series was one of the first to feature numerous twists throughout the series, including nominations on the first night and swapping a housemate with a housemate from
the African edition of the series. The series concluded after 64 days, with
Cameron Stout
Cameron Stout (born 8 March 1971 in Stromness, Orkney) is the winner of '' Big Brother 2003''. He received 1.9 million votes, 500,000 more than runner-up Ray Shah. Cameron is the elder brother of television and radio presenter Julyan Sinclair.
...
being crowned the winner. Despite the fourth series seeing a decrease in viewership and voting numbers, a
fifth series began on 28 May 2004. The series became one of the most controversial series at the time, mainly due to events such as "Fight Night" and the expulsion of two housemates. The series lasted for 71 days, with
Nadia Almada
Nádia Conceição Almada (born 28 January 1977) is a Portuguese-born British television personality. She is known for winning the fifth series of '' Big Brother''.
Career
''Big Brother''
Almada competed in the fifth series of '' Big Br ...
becoming the first
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
housemate to win the series.
Following the success of the fifth series, the
sixth series began on 27 May 2005, and lasted for a total of 78 days. The series was met with much controversy surrounding housemates
Anthony Hutton
''Big Brother 2005'', also known as ''Big Brother 6'', was the sixth series of the British reality television series '' Big Brother''. The show followed sixteen contestants, known as housemates, who were isolated from the outside world for an ext ...
and Makosi Musambasi, the former of which went on to win the series. The
seventh series premiered on 18 May 2006, and became the first series to feature over twenty housemates. It became the first series to last longer than 90 days, and was met with much controversy after allowing previously evicted housemate
Nikki Grahame
Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame (28 April 1982 – 9 April 2021) was an English television personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Big Brother UK'' in 2006, in which she finished in fifth place, and later st ...
to return to the game with the chance of winning.
Pete Bennett
Peter Alexander Bennett (born 22 March 1982) is an English television personality, actor and musician, who rose to fame after winning the seventh series of the Channel 4 reality series '' Big Brother'' in 2006. He has Tourette syndrome.
Caree ...
was ultimately crowned the winner of the series. The
following series premiered on 30 May 2007, and became the longest series to date at 94 days. The series featured a set of twins in the house, who competed initially as individuals but later became one housemate.
Brian Belo
Brian Belo (born 10 July 1987) is an English television personality and writer. He rose to fame after winning the eighth series of reality series '' Big Brother''. Since then, he has become an internet columnist for entertainment magazine, Heat ...
was crowned the winner of the series. Belo was the only black housemate to win the programme. The
ninth series featured a "Heaven and Hell" theme, and premiered on 5 June 2008.
Rachel Rice
Rachel Rice (born 7 March 1984) is a Welsh television personality, model, actress and teacher. She is known for winning the ninth series of the Channel 4 reality series '' Big Brother''. She has a degree in English and Drama, and is now a teac ...
was the winner of the series after spending 93 days in the house. On 4 June 2009, the
tenth series premiered and saw housemates having to complete tasks in order to earn housemate status.
Sophie Reade
''Big Brother 2009'', also known as ''Big Brother 10'', was the tenth series of the British reality television series '' Big Brother''. The show followed a total of twenty-two contestants, who were isolated from the outside world for an extended ...
was the winner of the series, which lasted for a total of 93 days.
9 June 2010 saw the premiere of the
eleventh series. It was also confirmed that 2010 would be the final year of ''Big Brother'' on Channel 4. The series lasted for a total of 77 days, with
Josie Gibson
Josephine Diane Shirley Gibson (born 24 January 1985) is an English television personality and presenter. In 2010, she won the eleventh series of '' Big Brother,'' and later that year, she appeared in ''Ultimate Big Brother''. She was also a r ...
being crowned the winner. Merely minutes after ''BB11'' concluded, a special edition titled ''
Ultimate Big Brother
''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol.
''Ultimate Big Brother' ...
'', featuring memorable former housemates competing for the title of "Ultimate Housemate". ''
Big Brother 2
''Big Brother 2'' is the second season of various versions of '' Big Brother'' and may refer to:
* ''Big Brother 2'' (Netherlands), the 2000 edition of the Dutch version of ''Big Brother''
* ''Big Brother Germany'' (season 2), the 2000 version ...
'' winner
Brian Dowling, won the series after 18 days in the house.
Channel 5 (2011–2018)
After
Richard Desmond
Richard Clive Desmond (born 8 December 1951) is a British publisher, businessman and former pornographer.
According to the 2021 ''Sunday Times Rich List'', Desmond was the 107th richest person in the United Kingdom. He is the founder of North ...
bought
Channel 5 in 2010, he stated that he was keen to acquire ''Big Brother''. Meanwhile,
Endemol
Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
had been granted permission to keep the ''Big Brother'' house at the Elstree TV Studios until 30 September 2013.
On 2 April 2011, In August 2011, Channel 5 formally confirmed that they had signed a £200 million two-year contract with Endemol to screen ''Big Brother'' from 18 August 2011.
''
Big Brother 2
''Big Brother 2'' is the second season of various versions of '' Big Brother'' and may refer to:
* ''Big Brother 2'' (Netherlands), the 2000 edition of the Dutch version of ''Big Brother''
* ''Big Brother Germany'' (season 2), the 2000 version ...
'' winner
Brian Dowling was announced as the new presenter.
McCall declined the offer to present, having said goodbye to the show in 2010.
['"Big Brother: Channel 5 poised to sign £200m deal"'](_blank)
MediaGuardian 31 March 2011 On 3 May 2011, ''Endemol'' and Channel 5 officially opened the process for people to apply to be on the show. The
twelfth series officially launched on 9 September 2011.
Aaron Allard-Morgan was crowned the winner after spending 64 days in the house. The
thirteenth series premiered on 5 June 2012, and was won by
Luke Anderson.
On 2 April 2013, it was confirmed that Dowling would be replaced by
Emma Willis
Emma Louise Willis (née Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV, and Heart FM. , who had previously presented spin-off series' for the show. The
fourteenth series premiered on 13 June 2013, and was won by
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on ''Glee'' starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first b ...
. The
fifteenth series launched on 5 June 2014 and was won by
Helen Wood, making her the first female winner since the show's revival on Channel 5. The
sixteenth series began on 12 May 2015, the earliest Big Brother launch to date. Chloe Wilburn was announced as the winner of that series. The
seventeenth series launched on 7 June 2016, it was the first Big Brother series to feature two separate houses and with a series length of 50 days it was the shortest ever series of ''Big Brother'' to air in the sixteen years of the programme. The winner was stunt double Jason Burill. He was the oldest housemate to win the main series to date. The
eighteenth series launched on 5 June 2017 and was won by Isabelle Warburton. She was the first woman to win Big Brother as a late entrant, and at just 38 days in the house she has also spent the least amount of time in the house for a winner of the regular series.
On 14 September 2018, Channel 5 announced that the
nineteenth series would be the last on Channel 5. Cameron Cole was the winner of the final series, and the programme's youngest. ''Big Brother'' ended on Channel 5 in November 2018.
ITV2 (2023)
In April 2022, it was reported that
ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcas ...
were in talks with
Banijay
Banijay (formerly Banijay Entertainment and later Banijay Group) is a French television production and distribution company which is the world's largest international content producer and distributor with over 120 production companies across 22 ...
, who own the rights to ''Big Brother'', to revive the show in 2023.
On 1 August 2022,
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
aired a teaser trailer during the final of the
eighth series of ''
Love Island'', officially confirming that the series would return for a new series in 2023 on
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
and
ITVX
ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) is a British online video-on-demand service operated by ITV plc, ITV. The service offers predominantly features content from ITV1, as well as ITV Digital Channels, ITV Digital channels and some licensed content. The serv ...
. The show is set to run between the months of May and June and for "up to six weeks" with housemates coming from "all walks of life".
However, it has been pushed back from Spring 2023 to Autumn 2023 to avoid the clash with ITV's rival reality show ''
Love Island'' and the one-off
I'm A Celebrity
''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a British reality TV series in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King" or "Queen of the Jungle".
The show was o ...
All-Stars series.
Spin-offs
Since its inception, ''Big Brother'' has seen numerous spin-offs and tie-in series' launch on both
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and
Channel 5. The most notable spin-off, ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'', began initially as a one-time series and involved six celebrities staying in the house for eight days. Following the success of the series, ''Celebrity Big Brother'' went on to become an annual production, much like the main series. Following
widespread media attention involving racism during the
fifth series, the show was not broadcast the following year. The show returned in 2009, and the final series to air on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
aired in 2010. Following the show's move to
Channel 5, ''Celebrity Big Brother'' began airing two series per year.
The show has also had various other spin-off series occur since its premiere. The first spin-off, ''
Teen Big Brother: The Experiment'', premiered on 13 October 2003 and lasted for a total of ten days. The series was met with much controversy, which was later heightened when two of the cast members had sex in the house. ''
Big Brother Panto
''Big Brother Panto'' is a special series of '' Big Brother'' that brought together ten housemates from previous ''Big Brothers'' to produce the pantomime ''Cinderella''. It aired from 20 December 2004 to 5 January 2005 on the Channel 4 network. ...
'', which aired in 2004, saw the return of ten former housemates who re-enacted their rendition of ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
''. ''
Ultimate Big Brother
''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol.
''Ultimate Big Brother' ...
'' was the final series to air on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, and featured fourteen of the most memorable housemates from both the main series and ''Celebrity Big Brother'' competing in the series.
Brian Dowling became the only housemate to win a series twice after winning ''Ultimate Big Brother''. Numerous other spin-offs have occurred throughout the series such as ''
Big Brother's Big Mouth
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'', presented by
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
, and ''
Big Brother's Little Brother
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' presented by
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
. Following the show's move to
Channel 5, ''
Big Brother's Bit on the Side
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother'' were the only spin-off series now airing.
Format
''Big Brother'' was a
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
in which a group of contestants, referred to as housemates, live in isolation from the outside world in a custom built "house", constantly under video surveillance. During their time in the house, the housemates are required to nominate two of their fellow contestants for potential eviction, and the two or more with the most votes would be nominated.
This process is mandatory for all housemates, and failure to comply could result in expulsion from the house. During the show's broadcast on Channel 4, the viewers would vote to evict one of the nominated housemates, and the housemate with the most votes would be removed from the house. The twelfth and thirteenth series, the first two to air under Channel 5, saw the public voting to save a housemate, and the housemate with the fewest votes would be evicted. Beginning with the fourteenth series, the vote to evict format returned to the series. During the eighteenth series, both vote to save and vote to evict were used. The voting process can be done via telephone or online. When the final week arrives, the viewers vote for which of the remaining housemates should win the series, and the housemate with the most votes becomes the winner. The prize fund has varied throughout the series, ranging from £50,000 to £150,000.
During their time in the house, housemates are given weekly tasks to perform.
The housemates wager a portion of their weekly shopping budget on the task, and either win double their wagered fund or lose the wagered fund depending on their performance in the task. The housemates are required to work as a group to complete their tasks, with the format of the tasks varying based on the number of remaining housemates. Throughout the series, some housemates have been given secret tasks that must either be completed individually or with a small group; failure to do so can result in the housemate being nominated or punished in the house. Should the housemates run out of the food provided for them, an emergency ration is available to them. The housemates are forbidden from discussing nominations, and doing so could result in punishment. The format of the series is mainly seen as a social experiment, and requires housemates to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices.
Housemates are also required to make visits to the diary room during their stay in the house, where they are able to share their thoughts and feelings on their fellow housemates and the game.
House
For the first two series, the house was located in
Bow, London
Bow () is an area of East London within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is primarily a built-up and mostly residential area and is east of Charing Cross.
It was in the traditional county of Middlesex but became part of the County of ...
, near the 3 Mills Studios. After planning permission expired in 2002,
Newham London Borough Council
Newham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Newham. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a di ...
ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat.
The house had been located at
Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...
, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since ''
Big Brother 3'' in 2002.
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
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
. 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. 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. The diary room features a different design each year, and was frequently the last room of the house to be revealed to the public. Each series has featured a garden in the house, which has included outdoor furniture, a Jacuzzi, and on some occasions other luxuries. The eighth series featured an "inside out" theme for the house, thus items such as the refrigerator were located in the garden.
On 2 February 2016, a planning application to Hertsmere Borough Council first revealed that
Endemol
Endemol B.V. was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted genres, including drama, reality ...
had applied to build a new extension to the house, which would be its biggest renovation to the house since it was built in 2002. The documents teased a second house with another garden, as well as a new exterior set and interview studio. The old eviction set and eye studio were both demolished following the conclusion of ''
Celebrity Big Brother 17
''Celebrity Big Brother 17'' was the seventeenth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 5 January 2016 on Channel 5 in the United Ki ...
''. 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.
From ''
Celebrity Big Brother 19
''Celebrity Big Brother 19'', also known as ''Celebrity Big Brother: All-Stars vs. New Stars'', was the nineteenth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. ...
'', the other house was referred to as ''The Task Building'' making it the house's third task room along with the small and large task room.
In January 2019 (two months after the conclusion of the nineteenth and final series), work began to demolish the house at Elstree Studios. On 17 February 2019, former presenter Emma Willis posted a picture to her Instagram showing that demolition work on the house was complete.
Broadcast
![Russell Brand Arthur Premier](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Russell_Brand_Arthur_Premier.jpg)
During the premiere series, the show aired six nights a week, being every night excluding Saturday. The eviction episodes and final aired on Fridays;
after series presenter McCall announced the evictee, they had two hours to pack their belongings and exit the house during a second episode airing that night. The remaining five weekly shows were highlight episodes, which lasted an hour in length; the Sunday episode featured a group of psychologists discussing the events of the house.
The second series aired six nights a week during the premiere week, though was reduced to only five days afterward, not airing on Saturday or Sunday.
This series featured two eviction episodes as well, though only featured a ninety-minute gap between the two. ''Big Brother 3'' was the first series to air every night each week, and every series thereafter featured only thirty minutes between eviction episodes.
The third series was the first in the main series to feature a live launch, with all subsequent series featuring a live launch. The series continued to air for seven nights a week until ''Big Brother 8'', which aired every night excluding Saturday.
The ninth series re-introduced the seven episodes per week format, which has been continued throughout all future series'. When the series premiered, it was aired in a 4:3
aspect ratio instead of the more common 16:9
widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...
format seen by other series at the time. Beginning in 2006 with the seventh series, the show was broadcast in the 16:9 format. Following the show's move to Channel 5, it was broadcast in HD. The series can be viewed on
Demand 5
My5 (previously Five Download and later Demand 5) is the brand name of video-on-demand services offered by Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. The service went live on 26 June 2008. It is owned by Paramount Global and operated by their Paramou ...
, a branch of Channel 5, after it airs.
Aside from the main series, the show featured a live feed into the house where viewers could watch the housemates at any time. With the series debut in 2000, the twenty-four-hour live feed was introduced which was available at any time to viewers for free. The live feed featured an estimated ten-minute delay to comply with broadcasting standards. Beginning with the second series, the live feed became available on
E4 as well. In 2009, it was confirmed that the live feeds would not return for the tenth series due to a "small uptake" of subscriptions in the previous year. The feeds did return the following year, though required viewers to pay a fee, for what was at the time slated to be the show's final series. Following the show's move to Channel 5, the live feeds have not been featured for any subsequent series. In 2013, it was announced that the live feed would return in the form of a two-hour nightly show that featured a live look into the House; the show was cancelled in June of that year, reportedly due to low ratings. Despite this, the feed was re-instated onto the official Channel 5 website for the remainder of the fourteenth series.
Numerous spin-off series have aired either immediately after or shortly following both the highlight episodes and the live episodes. ''
Big Brother's Big Mouth
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'', aired following the highlight shows. The show was initially presented by
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
from 2004 to 2007, but he did not return for subsequent series which featured a different presenter weekly. ''Big Brother's Big Mouth'' did not return following the show's move to Channel 5. Throughout the third, fourth, and fifth series' there were no weekly tasks, and the housemates instead participated in tasks during the ''Saturday Night Live'' weekly show. ''Big Brother's Big Brain'' also aired once per week, and featured a more psychological analysis of the series; it aired for two series, being renamed ''Big Brother: On the Couch'' for its second and final series. ''
Big Brother's Bit on the Side
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' was aired seven nights a week on Channel 5 and
5*, either immediately following or an hour after the nightly episode. ''Live from the House'', which features a live feed into the house, airs immediately following the live eviction episode.
The
opening theme
A title sequence (also called an opening sequence or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often a opening theme song with vis ...
for the series was both written and produced by
Elementfour
Elementfour (variants Element Four and Element 4) was a music producing duo made up of DJ Paul Oakenfold and musician/composer Andy Gray. Sometime before July 2000, they collaborated in writing and producing the opening theme for the Channel ...
, which was a collaboration between
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...
and
Andy Gray. Following the success of the first series, the theme was released as a single on 28 August 2000. The single proved to be successful, reaching number 4 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The theme was also featured on the soundtrack for the first series, which was released that same year. Since the series premiered, there have been numerous remixes and changes made to the song. The original theme by Oakenfeld and Gray was used through the first five series, however was later replaced by a revamped version from the sixth series onward. The song was remixed with a Christmas theme to promote ''
Big Brother Panto
''Big Brother Panto'' is a special series of '' Big Brother'' that brought together ten housemates from previous ''Big Brothers'' to produce the pantomime ''Cinderella''. It aired from 20 December 2004 to 5 January 2005 on the Channel 4 network. ...
'' in 2004, while a carnival themed edition was made to promote the final series to air on Channel 4. The intro to each series, which featured the theme song, was often based on the twist or theme of the house for the year. Each series was promoted with a different eye logo, with the logo also representing the theme of the house. The eye logo is meant to symbolize the phrase "Big Brother is watching" taken from the Orwell novel. The logo for the first series was a close-up of housemate Melanie Hill's eye, while the logos for the second through eleventh series' were created by Daniel Eatock. Design team Hello Charlie, who had previously created the series intros, created the eye logo for the twelfth and thirteenth series following the show's move to Channel 5. The fourteenth to eighteenth series logos were created by the design studio Shop.
Legacy
Since its premiere, ''Big Brother'' has been the centre of much publicity, and has received much media attention. The series often receives coverage from
tabloid newspapers
Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalism, sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even Fake news, blatantly false), which takes its name from the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid ne ...
, magazines, and online bloggers. The series has been a ratings success since it premiered, with the first eviction tally receiving 387,000 votes. The eviction episode itself received a total of 3.4 million viewers. The series continued to have successful viewership, with the third series finale reaching over 9.9 million viewers.
The vote for the third series finale saw over 8.6 million viewers voting for whom should win the series.
A number of books have been written about the series, including ''Big Brother: The Official Unseen Story'' by Jean Ritchie (), ''The Psychology of Big Brother'' by Dan Jones (), and ''Visible Thought: The New Psychology of Body Language'' by
Geoffrey Beattie
Geoffrey Beattie is a British psychologist, author and broadcaster. He is Professor of Psychology at Edge Hill University and has been visiting professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa ...
(). Narinder Kaur, who had previously appeared as a housemate in the second series, went on to release ''Big Brother: The Inside Story'' ().
Following their appearance on the series, numerous former housemates went on to enjoy moderate fame and success in the public eye. Most notably, ''Big Brother 3'' housemate
Jade Goody
Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) was an English television personality. She came to public prominence in 2002 when she appeared on the third series of the Channel 4 reality show '' Big Brother''. She went on to s ...
went on to have a successful career in reality television and later went on to appear in the
fifth edition of ''Celebrity Big Brother''. Goody died in 2009 due to cancer. Following her appearance on the series, Goody has frequently been referred to as one of the most successful former housemates. Following the initial conclusion of the series in 2010, a special titled ''Jade Goody: Ultimate Housemate'' aired on Channel 4 in memory of Goody. Housemates such as
Alison Hammond
Alison Hammond (born 5 February 1975) is an English television personality and actress. She competed in the third series of the reality show '' Big Brother'' in 2002, in which she was the second housemate to be evicted. She has since become a ...
,
Brian Dowling, and
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace (}; born 28 December 1978) is an English television personality, model, actress and columnist who emerged into the public eye in 2006 when she appeared as a contestant in the seventh series of reality television show ' ...
have enjoyed considerable success appearing in television series and reality television following their appearance on ''Big Brother''. Housemates
Nadia Almada
Nádia Conceição Almada (born 28 January 1977) is a Portuguese-born British television personality. She is known for winning the fifth series of '' Big Brother''.
Career
''Big Brother''
Almada competed in the fifth series of '' Big Br ...
,
Craig Phillips
Craig Phillips (born 16 October 1971) is an English television personality and builder. He is known for winning the Big Brother (British series 1), first series of ''Big Brother (British TV series), Big Brother'' in 2000. He is trained as a bri ...
, and Nichola Holt all released music following their appearance on the series, with Phillips ultimately having the most success.
Nikki Grahame
Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame (28 April 1982 – 9 April 2021) was an English television personality, model and author. She was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Big Brother UK'' in 2006, in which she finished in fifth place, and later st ...
, who rose to fame in the seventh series, had her own television series titled ''
Princess Nikki'' that ran for six weeks on E4. She later went on to appear in numerous reality television series.
Chanelle Hayes, who appeared on the eighth series, went on to release a single, work as a model, and receive her own reality television series.
The series has gone on to be spoofed and parodied by comedians such as
Alan Carr
Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeon ...
,
Justin Lee Collins
Justin Lee Collins (born 28 July 1974) is an actor and former radio and television presenter from Bristol, England.
Collins began his career as a stand up comedian in the 1990s when he was in his late teens. He then presented a number of TV sh ...
, and
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...
. The series has been parodied and re-enacted on programs such as ''
The Friday Night Project
''The Sunday Night Project'' is a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title ''The Friday Night Project''. Originally broadcast on Friday nights, the show moved to Sunday n ...
'', an episode of ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' ("
Bad Wolf
"Bad Wolf" is the twelfth episode of the revived first series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 11 June 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episo ...
"), and ''
Extras''. The
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms '' The Young Ones'' and ''Bla ...
novel ''
Dead Famous'', published in 2001, is a murder-mystery novel in a setting similar to that of ''Big Brother''. In October 2008, E4 aired the horror series ''
Dead Set
''Dead Set'' is a British zombie horror miniseries written and created by Charlie Brooker and directed by Yann Demange. The show takes place primarily on the set of a fictional series of the real television show '' Big Brother''. The five epi ...
'' which was set during a fictional series of ''Big Brother''. The series featured numerous former housemates, as well as presenter Davina McCall in various roles throughout the series.
Series details and viewership
Sponsorships
Channel 4 (2000–2010)
Channel 5 (2011–2018)
ITV2 (2023)
* In 2002 BT Cellnet changed its name to O2, the sponsor is therefore the same as the previous series
* The cost of this sponsorship was £2.5 million
* Although the change of the name of the sponsor, it is still the same company and the same sponsor adverts were used
* This sponsorship is only shown after 9.00pm
Controversies and criticism
Since its inception, ''Big Brother'' has come under fire for reports of bullying,
racism, rigging, and the physical and mental strain of appearing on the series.
Awards and nominations
See also
*
''Big Brother'' franchise
*
List of ''Big Brother'' housemates
Footnotes
External links
''Big Brother'' at
Channel5.com (inactive)
''Big Brother''at
Channel4.com
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
(inactive)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Brother (Uk)
2000 British television series debuts
2000s British reality television series
2010s British reality television series
BAFTA winners (television series)
British television series based on Dutch television series
British television series revived after cancellation
Cultural history of the United Kingdom
English-language television shows
Television series by Endemol
Television shows filmed in England
Television shows shot at Elstree Film Studios