Big Brother is the British version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997. Broadcast yearly from 18 July 2000 to 5 November 2018, and again from 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. The titular name and concept of surveillance of the housemates derives from George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. However unlike in the novel Big Brother acts as a authoritative voice more akin to O’Brien in Orwell’s novel almost interrogating the housemates in a separate room. 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 premiered in 2000 on Channel 4 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, which ended in 2010. Channel 5 then 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 series had concluded. In 2020, E4 aired previous episodes of Big Brother in a series titled Big Brother: Best Shows Ever to mark the 20th anniversary of the programme. Two years later, it was announced by ITV that Big Brother be relaunched on ITV2. It premiered in 2023 and has aired annually on ITV2 since.

The programme was initially presented by Davina McCall 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. Emma Willis later replaced Dowling from the fourteenth series, until its cancellation from Channel 5. Since the series' launch on ITV, AJ Odudu and Will Best have hosted both the main show and a "nightly spin-off" show. Marcus Bentley has 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, Russell Brand, George Lamb, Emma Willis and Rylan Clark all presenting spin-offs.

Format

Big Brother is a game show 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. 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. 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. 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 be completed individually or with a small group; failure to do so can result in the housemate being nominated or punished. 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.

History Main series Channel 4 (2000–2010) The Big Brother reality series was created by John de Mol Jr. and premiered in the Netherlands. Following the success of the initial series, it was confirmed that editions for both the United Kingdom and the United States were in the works. In March 2000, it was revealed that the series would be broadcast by Channel 4 and E4; casting began shortly afterward, and Davina McCall MBE was later revealed to be the presenter. The first series premiered on 18 July 2000, and ended when housemate Craig Phillips 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 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 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 becoming the first transgender 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 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. It was met with much controversy after allowing previously evicted housemate Nikki Grahame to return to the game with the chance of winning. Pete Bennett was ultimately crowned the winner of the series. The eighth 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 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 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 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 with McCall. The series lasted for a total of 77 days, with Josie Gibson being crowned the winner. Merely minutes after BB11 concluded, a special edition titled Ultimate Big Brother, featuring memorable former housemates competing for the title of "Ultimate Housemate". Big Brother 2 winner Brian Dowling, won the series after 18 days in the house.

Channel 5 (2011–2018) After Richard Desmond bought Channel 5 in 2010, he stated that he was keen to acquire Big Brother. Meanwhile, Endemol had been granted permission to keep the Big Brother house at the Elstree TV Studios until 30 September 2013. On 2 April 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 and Ultimate 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"' 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. The thirteenth series was also Dowling's last appearance as host.

On 2 April 2013, it was confirmed that Dowling would be replaced by Emma Willis, who had previously presented a spin-off series for the show. The fourteenth series premiered on 13 June 2013, and was won by Sam Evans. 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. The winner was stunt double Jason Burrill. 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. The nineteenth series was also Willis' last appearance as host.

ITV2 (2023–present)