Big Brother’s duty of care protocols were revealed on Tuesday ahead of the new series starting on Sunday night.
The series is back on ITV hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best but the show has stepped up its mental health support since the last instalment back in 2018.
This year the Housemates must undergo a social media blackout, take part in ‘respect and inclusion training’ and will have access to one-on-one mental health support sessions before, during and after the show.
The respect and inclusion training will set out expectations around use of language and acceptable behaviour in the House while
Big Brother: The Launch will see a new cast of carefully selected housemates, from all walks of life, become the first people to take up residence in the brand-new Big Brother house as they arrive at the famous destination in front of a live studio audience.
Important: Big Brother’s duty of care protocols were revealed on Tuesday ahead of the new series starting on Sunday night
Return: The series is back on ITV hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best but the show has stepped up its mental health support since the last instalment back in 2018
ITV said: ‘Registered and experienced mental health professionals are engaged throughout the whole series, to assess and support Housemates.
‘An experienced Big Brother welfare team is solely dedicated to the welfare of the Housemates before, during and after the show.
‘The welfare of everyone involved in the making of the programme is of paramount importance and welfare protocols have been carefully considered to deliver robust assessment of suitability to participate, informed consent and support throughout the casting and filming process and beyond.’
Before filming all Housemates have undergone psychological and medical assessments including assessments by an independent doctor, mental health professionals and information reports from each Housemate’s GP.
Housemates were also required to disclose in confidence any medical history or other information that would be relevant to their participation in Big Brother.
In addition their family and friends will be asked not to post any content on their individual social accounts for the duration of their time in the House in a social media blackout.
ITV also said that the Housemates have received information about the experience of taking part in Big Brother including the possible positive and negative implications.
The contestants also undergo a series of background checks including checks of their social media by an independent specialised service.
Iconic: The launch will see a new cast of carefully selected housemates, from all walks of life, become the first people to take up residence in the brand-new Big Brother house (the show in 2008 is pictured)
Upcoming: Big Brother will be followed each night by Big Brother: Late & Live – a new commission hosted live by AJ and Will from the site of the house
In terms of behaviour on the series, the show’s welfare team and other members of the editorial and production team received training in Mental Health First Aid and ‘respect and inclusion’.
ITV say the team have set out Big Brother’s expectation for appropriate behaviour and language.
Housemates are also provided with and talked through the Housemate rules which set out expectations and explain key aspects of life in the Big Brother House.
In addition, whilst in the House mental health professionals are available to Housemates for ongoing support throughout their time in the House.
The Big Brother welfare team also support friends and family with regular contact and updates.
After leaving the Big Brother House bespoke training on dealing with social media and press will be given.
A mandatory session with mental health professional immediately after a Housemate leaves the House will also be provided.
After, further support sessions will be provided specific to a Housemate’s individual needs and support will remain in place until the mental health professional(s) have agreed an end date for each individual Housemate.
Ongoing contact by the head of welfare for a period of 14 months after the series has ended, with additional help provided where needed will also be on offer.
Head of Welfare for Banijay UK, Kym Langer said: ‘The welfare of everyone involved in the making of Big Brother is of paramount importance to us and the welfare protocols for Housemates delivers robust assessment of suitability to participate, informed consent and support throughout the casting and filming process and beyond.
‘The protocols in place for the 2023 series have been carefully considered bringing together the experience of ITV’s compliance and Duty of Care team together with the independent mental health professionals we have engaged and our own in-house production, editorial, casting and support teams.’
Dr Paul Litchfield, a Chief Medical Officer who independently reviews ITV’s duty of care protocols, added:’The measures applied to safeguard the mental health of contributors to reality TV shows have evolved considerably over the past five years.
‘ITV has worked with the team at Banijay to share expertise and to ensure that current best practice is applied for the 2023 series of Big Brother.’
The series will see AJ and Will present together.
Speaking about her new role, AJ said: ‘I’m so excited to finally be able to say that, yes: I’m hosting Big Brother! I couldn’t be happier.’
She added: ‘Following in the footsteps of some of my favourite broadcasting legends to front such an iconic show is an absolute honour – and to do it alongside my amazing friend Will is the icing on the cake.’
Will explained: ‘I grew up with Big Brother so getting a chance to host it with my mate AJ is a dream come true. I can’t wait to tell some housemates not to swear.’
Paul Mortimer, Director of Reality Commissioning for ITV2 and ITVX, said: ‘AJ and Will really are our perfect pairing as we prepare to reintroduce Big Brother to the next generation.
Back with a bang: The legendary narrator of Big Brother Marcus Bentley, 55, has reportedly signed up for the job once again on the upcoming reboot of the show (Marcus is pictured outside the Big Brother house during the final Channel 4 series in 2010)
Before: The show used to be presented by Davina McCall (pictured above) during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010
Teaser: An advert for the upcoming show was released earlier this month showing Will and AJ larking around in their trailer
‘With a genuine chemistry, both of them will bring effortless wit, charm and heaps of character to their roles and we’re delighted to be working with them both again.’
This year’s contestants are yet to be announced – but the deadline for applications has now passed.
The legendary narrator of Big Brother Marcus Bentley has reportedly signed up for the job once again on the upcoming reboot of the show.
Gateshead-born voice-over artist Marcus, 55, became synonymous with the programme after it launched on Channel 4 in 2000 and he stayed with the reality series up until its last run on Channel 5 in 2018.
Big Brother: The Launch is on ITV1, STV, ITV2 and ITVX on Sunday 8th October from 9pm
