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UK may revive Big Brother

UK media mogul Richard Desmond is closing in on a deal to revive Big Brother for Channel Five.

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UK media mogul Richard Desmond is closing in on a deal to revive Big Brother for Channel Five.

Broadcast magazine has reported that talks with Endemol UK have progressed so far that a deal is just “weeks away.”

Desmond, who purchased the low-rating Five last year, refused to match the £70 million Channel 4 paid for a 3-year contract with Endemol during negotiations last September. But Broadcast now reports that negotiations have reopened and the new deal could be for five years.

Desmond is also rumoured to be interested in re-launching Celebrity Big Brother as well as extending Big Brother for longer than the usual 13 weeks. He could also promote its cast via his publications, Daily Express and Daily Star plus OK! magazine.

Big Brother ended a long and successful run on Channel 4 last year.

Former host Davina McCall 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.”

Five airs both Neighbours and Home and Away.

Source: Press Association, Unreality TV

23 Responses

  2. For those who think “oh, he mentioned Big Brother but in the UK – must be like the shit they showed on Ten … boo hiss”, you couldn’t be more wrong … the UK version was more true to the original idea – no product placement, no “VOTE NOW” every 15 seconds, not a money-raising cash cow for the network (good chunk of the weekly-vote money went to charity) – shown in an ADULT time slot, aimed at adults – and none of that childish games nights crap we had to endure here.

    Yay to bringing it back – I miss it already … but it ain’t Big Brother without Davina – “Big Brother house, this is Davina… you are live on Channel 4, please do not swear.” 🙂

  3. Never really paid attention to the UK version but if given a choice between 10 with Big Brother or 10 with The Biggest Loser/Masterchef i’ll definitely choose Big Brother as I found 10 more appealing then.

  6. While the UK BB was very different to the Australian versions both McCall and Killeen always roll with the punches amidst the chaos that was BB live tv. Many many times Gretel was quite clearly frustrated and sometimes bewildered by her IFB, but always managed to keep her cool and the show going. It’d be a tough call to do a Kyle and Jackie O on the UK version, but then unlike Australia, they do have a bigger talent pond to fish around in. Still, as Australia BB was Ms Killeen, BB UK was Ms McCall

  7. This show is a total disgrace! It just illustrates the rooten side of human nature. If England want this trash revived that’s fine (after all they love watching trash such as Neighbours) as long as this crap doesn’t find its way back to Australia…..

  8. There’s no way Ten could afford the BB rights for the Eleven channel. The US version has the advantage of being both on network TV and also continuing being uncensored on cable TV, so that’d be more interesting.

  10. It was a nice sendoff last year so probably needs a bigger break. But I’d be happier for it to be back with a complete revamp starting with the host. Davina was great but it can’t grow with the same people in place. Love for the aussie BB to be back too without the ridiculous censorship that killed it.

  11. i forgot how much I missed BB much to my shame. I recently re-watched Dead Set, a series where the world was taken over by zombies with the contestants of BB (UK) having no idea whats going on. Davina herself was transformed into a flesh eating zombie. As much as I disliked Gretal i really do think she makes the show. So please channel 11, bring back BB!

  14. I hope it does return and one of the networks here buy it so we can see it! I miss the days of Big Brother, and if Australia wont make a version than we should be able to see the U.K. version. No reason why UKTV, FOX8, MTV, or even Showcase cant buy it. Network TEN would be smart to show it on ELEVEN with So You Think You Can Dance. TEN cancelled SYTYCD Austrlia yet decided that it would be a good investment to show the U.S. version on ELEVEN – just shows that the shows themselves are good but TEN are too cheap to make their own versions

  16. The same thing happened in Greece. It was first screened on the biggest commercial network Antenna from 2001 to 2005 and then revived in 2010 & 2011 on smaller network Alpha. There may be some hope of it returning on Eleven.

  17. Yes please i would like davina to host it because she is big brother but i still would be happy if it came back with a new host just so long as it did come back witth the only English speaking BB left is the unwatchable boring USA version i need my fix of new quality BB

  19. Just like Gretel is Big Brother in Australia (Jackie and Kyle did a pretty useless job), I think Davina is Big Brother in the UK. It won’t be the same show with out her.

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