Big Brother moving to Channel 5
Reality show Big Brother will return to television screens later this year after Channel 5 signed a two-year deal with its creator, Endemol.
The series will begin with a celebrity version in the summer followed immediately by another featuring members of the public. The show was axed in 2009 by Channel 4, which broadcast the final series last August. Channel 5 said it was "hugely excited" to have secured the deal. The series will continue to be filmed at its old home, Elstree Film Studios in Hertfordshire. Channel 5 said Big Brother would form "a key part" of its TV schedule. "The series has previously captivated a decade of television viewers," said Jeff Ford, Channel 5's director of programmes. "We aim to bring Channel 5's energy, optimism and vibrancy to the series." Presenter Davina McCall has previously ruled out returning to host the show. Speaking at the National Television Awards in January, she said: "I think Big Brother has got legs and any channel that picks it up would be a very lucky channel. "But I don't think I'll go back to it. I think I've said goodbye." The show, which had been broadcast by Channel 4 since it began in the UK in 2000, was dropped after director of television Kevin Lygo said the show "had reached a natural end point". Big Brother was a hit with viewers in its early days but had suffered from falling ratings in recent years. The finale of the last series was seen by an average of 4.1 million people - around half of the audience that watched the show in 2002.