Controller of Five, Richard Woolfe, has revealed he is interested in picking up the Celebrity Big Brother format for his channel. With a daily audience of around 3m viewers, it would be a big show for Five although the summer show may not return after the 11th series this summer.
With ratings up year-on-year there is clearly still interest in the show which is resulting in other broadcasters looking to pick up the format. “Of course we’d be interested,” Richard Woolfe told The Guardian. “What it’s absolutely shown is that we love to see celebrities facing jeopardy. There’s absolutely life in the Celebrity Big Brother format.”
However both Sky and UKTV have ruled themselves out in acquiring the show, with UKTV’s director of entertainment saying: “When Big Brother launched in 2000, it was bold, creative and totally unique … but the series now looks over-formatted and tired. It’s not one for any of UKTV’s entertainment channels.”
While Five may pick up the Celebrity series, it’s unlikely they’ll run the summer series which has seen ratings dip to less than 3m viewers, “The main show probably needs to go away and be rejuvenated,” Woolfe said.
Meanwhile Channel 4 has said they have no regrets about axing the show, saying “The show had come to a natural end on Channel 4.”
Big Brother returns for its final ever series, on Channel 4 at least, in June.
