Big Brother (British TV series)
The British version of the global reality surveillance show.
Big Brother is the British adaptation of the international reality franchise created by John de Mol Jr., in which contestants live in an isolated house under constant surveillance. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010, then on Channel 5 from 2011 to 2018, and was revived on ITV2 in 2023. The series has been a ratings hit and cultural phenomenon, known for its live feed and public eviction votes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Reality competition
- Based on
- Big Brother, John de Mol Jr.
- Presenter
- Davina McCall
- Brian Dowling
- Emma Willis
- AJ Odudu
- Will Best
- Narrator
- Marcus Bentley
- Theme music
- Elementfour
- Opening theme
- "Big Brother UK TV Theme"
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
History
The series was created by John de Mol Jr. and premiered in the Netherlands before a British edition was confirmed. In March 2000, Channel 4 and E4 announced the series would broadcast; casting began, and Davina McCall MBE was named presenter. The first series launched on 18 July 2000, ending after 64 days with Craig Phillips as winner. It was an early hit, leading to a second series. Big Brother 2 aired from 25 May 2001 to 27 July 2001, won by Brian Dowling. The third series, starting 24 May 2002, was the first with a live premiere and lasted 64 days, crowning Kate Lawler. The fourth series began 23 May 2003, featuring twists like nominations on the first night and a swap with the African edition; Cameron Stout won after 64 days. Despite lower viewership, a fifth series started 28 May 2004, becoming controversial due to events like "Fight Night" and two expulsions. It ran 71 days, with Nadia Almada becoming the first transgender winner.
House
The first two series used a house in Bow, London, near 3 Mills Studios. After planning permission expired in 2002, Newham London Borough Council required the site to be returned to natural habitat. Following a break-in during the second series, security was increased to be more secure than Buckingham Palace. The interior changes yearly with a theme or twist; the fifth series had a harsh colour scheme and claustrophobic setting, while the third featured a "Rich and Poor" twist with bars dividing the house. The diary room design changes annually and is often the last room revealed. Each series includes a garden with outdoor furniture, a Jacuzzi, and sometimes other luxuries. The seventh series had an "inside out" theme with the dining table in the garden; the eighth series placed the refrigerator in the garden as part of its "modernistic sur-reality" theme. On 2 February 2016, Endemol applied to build a new extension, including a second house, garden, and new exterior set and interview studio. Permission was granted on 18 March 2016. The new outdoor set held 400 people, down from 470. From Celebrity Big Brother 19 in 2017 until the 2018 cancellation, "The Other House" was called "The Task Building". In January 2019, demolition of the house at Elstree Studios began, completed by 17 February 2019.
Broadcast
During the premiere series, the show aired six nights a week, excluding Saturday. Eviction episodes and the final aired on Fridays; after presenter McCall announced the evictee, they had two hours to pack and exit during a second episode that night. The other five weekly shows were hour-long highlight episodes, with a Sunday episode featuring psychologists discussing events. The second series aired six nights in premiere week, then five nights, not airing Saturday or Sunday, with two eviction episodes separated by ninety minutes. Big Brother 3 was the first to air every night each week, with subsequent series having only thirty minutes between eviction episodes. It was also the first main series with a live launch. The series aired seven nights a week until Big Brother 8, which excluded Saturday. The ninth series returned to seven episodes per week, continuing thereafter. Initially broadcast in 4:3 aspect ratio, the show switched to 16:9 widescreen with the seventh series in 2006. After moving to Channel 5, it was broadcast in HD and available on Demand 5.
Legacy
Big Brother has received extensive media coverage from tabloids, magazines, and bloggers since its premiere. The first eviction episode drew 3.4 million viewers and 387,000 votes. The third series finale reached over 9.9 million viewers, with over 8.6 million votes cast. Several books have been published 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. Former housemate Narinder Kaur released "Big Brother: The Inside Story". Many former housemates gained public fame; Big Brother 3's Jade Goody had a successful reality TV career and appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 5 before her death in 2009. A special titled "Jade Goody: Ultimate Housemate" aired on Channel 4 in her memory. Other successful former housemates include Alison Hammond, Brian Dowling, and Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace. Nadia Almada, Craig Phillips, and Nichola Holt released music, with Phillips having the most success. Nikki Grahame from the seventh series had her own E4 series "Princess Nikki" and appeared in other reality shows. Chanelle Hayes from the eighth series released a single, worked as a model, and had her own reality series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Big Brother (British TV series) are there?
Big Brother has 1602 episodes across 23 seasons.
When did Big Brother (British TV series) end?
Big Brother last aired on 10 September 2010.
More in British Television Series Revived After Cancellation
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