April 6th, 2011

Big Brother UK – It’s Baaaaaaaaaack

Good news Big Brother UK fans – Channel 5 have bought the rights to the show and plan to air a celebrity version in the summer followed by a regular series later in the year. Take a peak at the official press release below.

After months of speculation and rumour, we’re delighted to confirm the smash hit TV show Big Brother will indeed be returning to British TV screens this summer.

Big Brother, one is the of the world’s most successful television brands, is joining forces with Channel 5 and production company Endemol to breathe new life into the show after its massive 11 year run on Channel 4.

The new reign will kick off with an all star celebrity version later this August, followed by a brand new series featuring members of the public.

Jeff Ford, Channel 5 Director of Programmes says “we’re hugely excited to have secured the return of Big Brother for Channel 5 which will form a key part of this year’s schedule. The series has previously captivated a decade of television viewers and we aim to bring Channel 5’s energy, optimism and vibrancy to the series.”

Source: http://www.channel5.com/articles/big-brother-comes-to-channel-5

Also the prize fund will be a huge half a million this series.

The winner of Channel 5′s Big Brother will win a top prize of £500,000, according to a report.

It was confirmed last night that the broadcaster has signed a deal with Endemol to bring back the iconic reality TV show.

The Daily Star has revealed that it will run a daily competition in the two-week run-up to the show’s launch, offering five golden tickets each day. The Willy Wonka-inspired contest will give 60 people the opportunity to audition for a place in the house.

Describing the competition as a “genuine life-changing opportunity”, a source told the paper: “We reckon the nation will go Big Brother barmy. This has got to be the most astonishing prize ever offered by a newspaper.”

Big Brother will apparently kick off on Channel Five with a four-week celebrity edition. It will be followed in September by a regular 13-week series, before Celebrity Big Brother is given another run. The series will then return to its usual summer scheduling.

The paper claims that the prize fund will be increased from the £100,000 won when the show aired on Channel 4 to £500,000 – similar to the amount won on the American version. It also suggests that fans will once again have access to a 24/7 live feed of events in the house.

Details of the deal between Channel 5 and Endemol remain unconfirmed with various sources suggesting that it is between a two- and five-year contract worth £200 million.

Channel 5′s programmes director Jeff Ford is quoted as saying: “We’re hugely excited.”

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/bigbrother/news/a313026/big-brother-prize-fund-increased-to-gbp500k.html

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