Channel 5 boss confirms Big Brother WON’T return next year and show will ‘take a break’
Ben Frow has said the show will be off-air after the channel's BB contract expires at Christmas
CHANNEL 5 boss Ben Frow has confirmed Big Brother WON'T return next year and the show will "take a break".
He said the show will be off-air after the channel's contract expires at Christmas.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival today, Channel 5 chief Frow addressed speculation over the future of the series.
He said: "I have planned for a year without Big Brother. But never say never.
"The contract runs out at Christmas...
"You have to free up the schedule and open it up to new ideas.
"I am over quite a lot of things."
However, it was not clear whether he was referring to Celebrity Big Brother or the original show, or both versions.
The original Big Brother was previously axed this year to allow TV bosses to focus on this summer's celebrity series.
Former Big Brother star Brian Belo, who won the show in 2007, has already tweeted about today's news and called the break a "good thing".
He wrote: "This is a good thing! They don't know how to look after the show!
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"Before being a housemate in 2007, I was an ardent-fan of Big Brother since season 1.
"And their appeasing the casual viewer on Ch5, the real fans have not been looked after at all #EdTVFest."
Celebrity Big Brother's Bit On The Side host Rylan Clark Neal recently admitted the future of the show was still in doubt days before the launch of this series.
Speaking on This Morning, he explained: "The truth is no one knows.
"There's always rumours. There's no secret that Channel 5 had a three-year deal [to show CBB]. No one knows [what is going to happen next]."
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