Big Brother returned to British television on Sunday after five years, but had a ban on two huge elements of the show.
The influential social experiment, in which housemates live together in a custom-built home for weeks without access to the outside world, in a bid to win a cash prize, has re-opened its doors.
New hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best kicked off the launch show on ITV , after the reality show was axed in 2018 by Channel 5, introducing a new batch of 16 contestants in front of a studio audience.
However, a crowd whistleblower told The Sun about two elements ITV banned from the prerecorded launch show.
They said: ‘They told us at the beginning, “It’s 2023, we want it to be celebratory”, so we weren’t allowed to boo anyone like in the old days.’
Shocking: Big Brother returned to British television on Sunday after five years, but had a ban on two huge elements of the show
Ban: A crowd whistleblower told The Sun about two elements ITV banned from the prerecorded launch show
The cast were quick to complain about the lack of alcohol in the house after being met with just two bottles of prosecco and some mocktails.
The provision of alcohol has been a hot topic of speculation after ITV unveiled a rigorous duty of care protocol.
During the show, new contestant Olivia, 23, remarked: ‘Did they think two bottles of prosecco was gonna last?’
After sipping on the mocktails and coming to the conclusion they contained no alcohol, Hallie, 18, declared: ‘I need a drink!’
The influential social experiment show has opened its doors on ITV for the first time in five years after it was axed by Channel 5 in 2018 amid a ratings slump.
The launch episode saw a new cast of ‘carefully selected housemates from all walks of life’ arrive at the brand-new house in front of a studio audience.
A total of 30,000 people applied to take part in the show and just 16 were selected to enter the house.
The winner will scoop a whopping £100,000 when the series reaches its end.
Big Brother hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best reminded fans to be kind online to the new batch of contestants ahead of the series returning to British TV screens this week.
Ahead of the launch show on Sunday evening, 35-year-old Odudu said in a video posted in Instagram: ‘Please do remember that all of our housemates are real people with their real lives.
They said: ‘They told us at the beginning, “It’s 2023, we want it to be celebratory”, so we weren’t allowed to boo anyone like in the old days.’
‘If you wouldn’t say anything to them in person, please watch out what you say to them online.’
TV presenter Will, 38, said: ‘We all just want to be fair and kind to everybody, and that way we can all enjoy this series together and we can support our housemates on the show and beyond.’
AJ added: ‘Let’s make this the most positive series yet and give all of the housemates the respect that you would wish for if you were a housemate too. Is that a deal?’
The new batch of housemates have received respect and inclusion training to set out the ‘expectation for appropriate behaviour and language’ before they take part in the show, ITV has said.
As part of the broadcaster’s duty of care protocols, all housemates will be given the training to prepare them for life within the house – as well as undergoing psychological and medical assessments, background checks and a social media review.
Similar to recent series of ITV’s Love Island, housemates and their family and friends have also been asked to not post any content about the show on their individual social media accounts while they are in the house.
It comes as broadcasters’ duty of care policies have faced scrutiny following a number of controversies involving on-screen talent.
Big Brother has experienced its own fair share of controversy over the years including contestants being accused of making racist and sexist comments.
Back with a bang! Big Brother has returned to British television following a five-year hiatus with it’s most diverse cast ever
ITV has said the famous house will see the return of tasks, nominations and live evictions with the voting public playing a ‘crucial role’ through the series – before voting for the winner of the show.
AJ and Will will host Big Brother: Late & Live each night in front of a live studio audience after the show has aired, which will feature the evictees’ first live interview, as well as celebrity guest commentary and weekly nomination results.
Big Brother: Live Stream also makes its return to screens, showing footage from the all-new house into the small hours every night on ITVX after Big Brother: Late & Live.
The social experiment programme, which sees housemates live together in a custom-built home for weeks without access to the outside world in a bid to win a cash prize, started in 2000 on Channel 4 before Channel 5 took over in 2011.
Big Brother continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
BIG BROTHER 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS!
JENKIN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Barman
FROM: Bridgend
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU? ‘Loud and messy and irritating probably.’
TOM
AGE: 21
PROFESSION: Butcher
FROM: Somerset
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘I think I might potentially offend some people. My mouth moves faster than my brain.’
TRISH
AGE: 33
PROFESSION: Mum
FROM: Luton
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? ‘I think my first priority is to sort out my housing situation. The housing crisis is just ridiculous and my housing situation has been unstable. It brings me a lot of mum guilt because I’ve got a young child. It’s my biggest incentive and motivation to win.’
JORDAN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Lawyer
FROM: Scunthorpe
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being cantankerous and acting as if I don’t want to be there even if I do in my heart. They might nominate me for being disengaged perhaps or not paying everyone an equal amount of attention. They may feel left out but I can’t help that.’
DYLAN
AGE: 39
PROFESSION: DJ
FROM: Coventry
TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: ‘I appeared on a TV show called The Last Leg about amputees – two years before I lost my leg!’
NOKY
AGE: 26
PROFESSION: Banker
FROM: Derby
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BECOME A BIG BROTHER HOUSEMATE? ‘I love challenges. I’ve had so many amazing times in my life, like going to Miss Universe as Miss Great Britain. I like to do something different and I think this is the next challenge I want to conquer. I want to show people what pageant girls are really like and disprove a lot of stereotypes around them. I also show what it’s like being a woman who’s worked in male- dominated fields. I want to show that women are capable of doing anything they want.’
PAUL
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Security Officer
FROM: Liverpool
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being the biggest wind up, eating all the food and being the loudest housemate.’
OLIVIA
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Dancer
FROM: Glasgow
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘I think when people are in that hangry state, that’s when I’ll wind people up and grind their gears. I think they’ll nominate me for being full on, and for my brutal honesty and oversharing of opinions.’
FARIDA
AGE: 50
PROFESSION: Make-up artist
FROM: Wolverhampton
TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: ‘People are always surprised when I say I got married at 43. Or also that I’m an ex-holiday rep in Gran Canaria and Menorca.’
HAILLE
AGE: 18
PROFESSION: Youth Worker
FROM: London
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being lazy and having an opinion. I’m quite opinionated, I like speaking my mind and not many people like that. I’m quite real.’
YINRUN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Customer Support Agent
FROM: Harrogate
WHAT PART OF THE EXPERIENCE ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? ‘I’m most excited about being surrounded by so many people from different walks of life. I don’t think I will ever live in a house again with so many different kinds of people. I’m from China and I think it will help me be more immersed in British culture..’
CHANELLE
AGE: 29
PROFESSION: Dental Therapist
FROM: Llanelli
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO BE NOMINATED FOR? ‘Probably just for being annoying. In Wales, we have this saying ‘I’ll do it now in a minute’. So like, if I went to make food and I left a dish on the side, I have all good intentions of washing it but I’d be like, ‘I’ll do it now in a minute,’ and it might be three hours later before I do it. So probably for silly stuff like that.’
ZAK
AGE: 28
PROFESSION: Model
FROM: Manchester
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? ‘Pay off my debts and help my family out. I’ve also been saving up to build a park in my village back at home in Thailand because where I grew up, there’s no parks or playgrounds.’
MATTY
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Doctor
FROM: Isle Of Man
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? ‘They would say I’m quite like a lucky person or someone who really wants to experience life to its fullest and do everything that it has to offer. Someone who is kind and fun and doesn’t take life too seriously.’
HENRY
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Food Writer
FROM: Cotswolds
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? ‘I think they would say I’m particularly sociable and very chatty. I mean, I’ll be honest, my parents would definitely say I’m a bit of a snob but I take it as a compliment. I think it means you’ve got high standards and good taste. They’d say I was quite a peculiar child.’
KERRY
AGE: 40
PROFESSION: NHS Manager
FROM: Essex
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BE A BIG BROTHER HOUSEMATE? ‘I love the programme. It is, for me, the ultimate reality TV show ever. I’ve got multiple sclerosis and so the reason why I never applied before is because I always saw those whacking great big stairs to get into the house. It just felt a little bit unachievable because for the first three years of my illness I was in a wheelchair. When I saw it was coming back and searching for real people from all walks of life, I thought, this is my year.’
