Is Big Brother coming back for 2023 and what are the auditions like?

Now Love Island has finished along with some of the relationships, reality show fans are wondering is Big Brother coming back? after an advert was aired during the final.

The show which first aired back in 2000 and run for 18 years, paved the way for other celebrity-based shows including Celebrity Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Outta Here!

And now there's talk of it returning with reports of Roman Kemp in talks to host, with Maura Higgins, Emily Atack and Vick Hope also in the running, as we look at all we know about the show being revived...

Is Big Brother coming back?

Big Brother is coming back to screens in late autumn 2023 ITV has confirmed. The reality show, which is returning with its original format onto a new channel ITV2 and ITVX from 2023 was tipped to be airing in March but the show has been delayed due to a busy schedule of programming. Shows such as Winter Love Island and I'm A Celebrity filmed in South Africa will air during the first half of the year instead.

An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline, "Owing to the influx of big reality TV programming on air during the first half of 2022 we have taken the decision to move the transmission of Big Brother to a more prominent slot in the Autumn. 

"This gives our viewers a whole calendar of big reality TV formats across the year."

The broadcaster previously confirmed that it will see a new cast of "carefully selected housemates, from all walks of life" take up residency in the Big Brother house for up to six weeks.

The statement reads, “A new cast of carefully selected housemates, from all walks of life, will take up residence in the world’s most famous reality TV home for up to six weeks, with cameras capturing their every move, and the nation following every twist and turn.

"The action will all play out under the roof of the iconic Big Brother house, which will be given its own contemporary new look ready for this reimagining of the show.

“Clever tasks, nail-biting nominations and live evictions will be back, with the public once again playing a crucial role, voting throughout the series and ultimately determining the winner, who will walk away with a life changing cash prize.”

And Paul Mortimer, Director of Reality Commissioning & Acquisitions and Controller, ITV2, ITVBe and CITV added, "This refreshed, contemporary new series of Big Brother will contain all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round, but with a brand new look and some additional twists that speak to today’s audience. We’re beyond excited to bring this iconic series to ITV2 and ITVX where it should especially engage with our younger viewers.” 

What is Big Brother?

Big Brother is a reality TV show that puts contestants under 24-hour surveillance in a home with no contact to the outside world. They must live together for around six weeks, and the object of the competition between the house mates is to be the last remaining house mate in the house. 

A variety of tasks, challenges put the house mates through their paces - with sparks often flying as personalities clash and romances ignite. At least one house mate will leave the house every week by a process of nomination and public eviction.

When the final week arrives, the viewers vote for which of the remaining housemates should win the series, and the housemate with the most votes becomes the winner. The prize fund has varied throughout the series, ranging from £50,000 to £150,000.

The show made its debut back in 2000 with Davina McCall as host, it aired on Channel 4 until 2010 before moving to Channel 5 from 2011 to 2018.

It resulted in a few spin-off shows including Celebrity Big Brother, Teen Big Brother: The Experiment, Ultimate Big Brother, Big Brother’s Big Mouth, Big Brother’s Little Brother and Big Brother’s Bit on the Side.

And over the years the normal Big Brother has given people a platform - shooting them to fame including This Morning presenters Alison Hammondand Josie Gibson, plus Rylan Clarke, Kate Lawler and the late Jade Goody and Nikki Grahame.

And the celebrity version has helped re-launch the careers of existing celebrities and fans can take a trip down memory lane to see the stars of Big Brother then and now.

When are the Big Brother 2023 auditions?

You can now apply to take part in Big Brother 2023. The show made the audition announcement on its official Instagram account. Show bosses uploaded an advertisement and captioned it, "Think you've got what it takes to be a great housemate? Applications are open until 30th June 2023. Apply via the Link in Bio 👆 #BBUK #BigBrother"

Applications close on June 30th 2023.

The application process usually involves filling in a lengthy form and submitting a video of yourself to show off your personality. 

Kate Lawler, winner of the 2002 series of Big Brother, gave an insight into what it took to land her a place in the house two decades ago, telling OK! magazine, "First of all you have to send in an application form that's like 64 pages long and send a video of yourself."

Describing the process as "like a psychology test", she added, "They'd be like, 'Look at this picture and tell me what you see, draw a picture of your house, what are your three favourite songs, what are your three favourite movies'."

What is the Big Brother theme tune?

The official Big Brother theme tune was written and produced by Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray under the name Elementfour. It featured on every UK series and reached number 4 in the September 2000 single charts, where it stayed in the charts for 16 weeks becoming Paul Oakenfold's most successful track released.

In 2018 the song was re-mixed for the opening show but Paul has been involved in this remix, bringing the track up to date.

In 2011 Paul told Digital Spy,"Of course I was. I'm very proud of my track and it's become quite an iconic piece of music."

Where is the Big Brother house

The Big Brother house is technically not a real house but the studio build set had a homely feel about it - complete with the usual features, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and outside garden. For the first two series, the house was located in Bow, London, near the 3 Mills Studios but when planning permission expired it had to be moved to Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire in 2002.

Here it remained until it was demolished in January 2019 - two months after the conclusion of the nineteenth and final series. This means the 2023 series will have an entirely new house. 

Each year the house got a revamp, with new look and features plus new decor and furniture but on 17 February 2019, former presenter Emma Willis posted a picture to her Instagram showing that demolition work on the house was complete.

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