Big Brother’s return is ‘drawing closer’ as bosses are ‘in advanced talks’ with ITV to bring the show ‘back to basics’ – five years after Channel 5 axe

Big Brother’s return to the small screen is reportedly drawing closer, with ITV bosses ‘in advanced talks’ to bring the reality show back.

The reality juggernaut originally aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010 and was hosted by Davina McCall, 54, before it moved to Channel 5 until 2018 where it was presented by series two winner Brian Dowling, 43, and later Emma Willis, 46.

It was previously alleged producers were in talks for it to be shown on ITV2 in 2023 after Love Island, with Broadcastnow.co.uk now claiming the ‘channel hop’ will take the programme ‘back to basics’.

Comeback: Big Brother’s return to the small screen is reportedly drawing closer, with ITV bosses ‘in advanced talks’ to bring the reality show back (former host Davina McCall seen on the show in 2002)

A TV source told The Sun in April: ‘ITV is the home of big appointment telly. They know better than anyone how to put on big live events.

‘They think putting it on ITV2 will open it up to a new audience and legion of younger fans. They are really keen on getting the deal done on Big Brother, and hope to have something firm to announce soon.

‘The talks are still at an early, and delicate, stage and the next few weeks will be key.

‘It needs the full treatment and they’re confident they are the ones who can return it to its legendary former glory. It has millions of fans and is one of the most iconic TV shows of its generation.’

Fame game: Producers are apparently in talks for it to be shown on ITV2 in 2023 after Love Island (Davina seen with the late Jade Goody during her eviction in the 2002 final)

Fresh: A source said: ‘They think putting it on ITV2 will open it up to a new audience and legion of younger fans’ (series three winner Kate Lawler seen on show final in 2002) 

ITV has been contacted for comment by MailOnline.

The show started as a social experiment in 2000 and went on to become a firm fixture of popular culture.

While ordinary members of the public were rocketed to fame the moment they stepped foot inside the house, a celebrity version of the show with famous housemates also ran from 2000.

The show featured some iconic moments air over the years, with a staggering 3.5million people voting for Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips from Seaforth, Merseyside to win the £70,000 prize in 2000 at the end of the first series.

All stars: The show started as a social experiment in 2000 and went on to become a firm fixture of popular culture (series one winner Craig Phillips seen with Davina in 2000)

Energised: Pete Bennett was the winner of seven in 2006, with the star being the first housemate to have Tourette Syndrome

Legendary: The late Nikki Grahame became known for her explosive outbursts on Big Brother (pictured on the show in 2006)

Rising star: Josie Gibson made a name for herself when she became a housemate in 2010 before going on to host This Morning on ITV

Big Brother’s inaugural series captivated the nation due to the then-unheard of ‘social experiment’ style compound. 

As viewers continued to be enthralled with the season, the behaviour of Nick Bateman was the most shocking. 

The city broker won the nickname Nasty Nick after he attempted to cheat in the game and pass notes between contestants to sway nominations. He was confronted by eventual winner Craig.

Kate Lawler became the first female winner of the show in series three with 58.05% of the vote but it was the introduction of the late Jade Goody to UK TV screens was undoubtedly the height of drama in 2002. 

The Only Way Is Essex: Brian Belo rose to fame on Big Brother in 2008 and later came up with the idea for TOWIE (Brian seen in 2008)

Tearful: Nadia Almada was ecstatic to become the first ever transgender housemate on the show, with the reality star going on to win the competition in 2004

Girl power: Emma Wills hosted the show on Channel 5 from 2013 to 2018 (seen on show in 2018 during the last series)

Other big names include the only ever transgender winner Nadia Almada, Anthony Hutton and Makosi Musambasi who shared a controversial moment in the swimming pool, the outrageous late Nikki Grahame who became one of the most temperamental stars to ever grace the show.

Meanwhile, the likes of ditzy Essex boy Brian Belo and This Morning presenters Alison Hammond and Josie Gibson also rose to fame on the show.

The programme, which was seen as a ground-breaking social experiment when it first aired in 2000, was initially a roaring success, with the final of the first series bringing in 9.45 million viewers but it was axed in September 2018 after 18 years on air across both Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Let’s dance: Dancer Anthony Hutton won series six of the show in 2005 after becoming a firm favourite with viewers

Champ: Brian Dowling was the winner of the second series of the show in 2001 and he later went on to host it on Channel 5 after appearing in Ultimate Big Brother

It averaged at 5.8million viewers an episode by its third season – but figures dropped to just 2.9million an episode in 2009 thanks to competitions inspired by the very shows it spawned, such as The Only Way Is Essex.  

Its move from Channel 4 to Channel 5 saw the show hit an all-time low, with viewership dropping to 1.2million last season.

Celebrity Big Brother also suffered a blow to its viewership as early as season six, which followed the race row of season five. Contestant Jade Goody referred to Indian actress Shilpa Shetty as ‘Shilpa Poppadom’, resulting in 10,000 complaints to Ofcom and 2,000 to Channel 4.

Average viewership per episode dropped from 4.6million to 3.1million by season six.

As 2010 loomed, the people began switching off and over to The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. 

Entertainers: Makosi Musambasi shared a controversial moment in the swimming pool with Anthony Hutton during her series in 2005

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