The future of Celebrity Big Brother is unclear amidst reports that staff have been “operating on the basis that it won’t be coming back”.
The reality series, which sees a group of famous faces live under the watchful eye of Big Brother, didn’t return for a third season this year and it is understood that it is unlikely to air again until 2027.
Now, a source has claimed: “Bosses face a huge challenge trying to sign up celebrities because so many of them are now pressing their agents to get them on The Celebrity Traitors. That is already causing problems for other big shows, like Strictly and I’m A Celebrity, which rely of star contestants because they now find themselves as second in the pecking order.
“So that is an even greater issues for a show like Celebrity Big Brother because now it’s on ITV, it needs a certain calibre of contestant which are very hard to sign up now. ITV are already having to find two lots of stars to compete on I’m A Celebrity this autumn as well as its spin off show, The Wild Frontier, which is expected to air in early 2027 – which is exactly the same time ITV were hoping to drop the new series of CBB.”
A spokesperson for ITV said: “Big Brother returns to ITVX and ITV2 later this year. No decisions have been made for 2027 as yet.”
Earlier this year, ITV confirmed it remained “committed” to broadcasting Celebrity Big Brother, despite it being pulled from the schedules.
At the time of the report, Radio Times understood that the next series, which usually airs in the spring, was not likely to air again until 2027 – and would be moved to ITV2 alongside the parent show.
The news came after Director of Television Kevin Lygo spoke openly of the format’s future at the 2025 Edinburgh TV Festival.
Lygo explained: “Celebrity Big Brother we’re looking at. We’re thinking not on the main channel, that’s the answer. It’s so difficult now to book big celebrities, famous people, which is what we need on the main channel. Whereas you can go more interesting and niche on ITV2.
“We’re in a battle with [production company] Banijay about the price. It does really well for us on ITVX. It’s a really important, crucial show. I love it and it does a tremendous job for us so, yes, it’s coming back.”
An ITV spokesperson added at the time: “We are committed to both Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother beyond 2025, and scheduling for any new series will be confirmed in due course.
“The show remains a priority reality format for us having recently hit 150 million streams on ITVX.”
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Big Brother returns later this year.
Add Big Brother to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
