“Big Brother UK” is getting a longer run this year.
ITV confirmed the show will return this fall with an extended season, according to The Sun. Since the ITV reboot in 2023, the civilian version of the show—which typically kicks off in early October—has usually lasted about six weeks.
This time, it’s going to be eight.
That makes it the longest season the show has had in more than a decade.
A source previously told The Sun that longer seasons have been a frequent fan request.
“Extending by a week is something fans have been calling for as past runs have shown the action really only heats up in the latter days,” the source told the outlet. “ITV really is committed to the format and has lots of ideas to keep the civilian version as exciting as possible, with the extension being one of the options being considered.”
ITV Confirms Season 23 Will Be 8 Weeks Long
ITVITV shared the extension update in a statement, reported by The Sun.
“A new batch of Housemates from every corner of the UK take up residence in the nations most famous home with a stylish new look, setting the stage for 8 weeks of drama, laughter & unmissable moments,” the network said.
The British version of the show is hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, and has been a strong performer since moving to ITV in recent years.
The outlet reports that season 22 averaged about a million viewers per episode and generated over 150 million streams on ITVX, the network’s streaming service.
What a Longer Season Means for ‘Big Brother UK’
ITVThe adding-two-weeks change might sound small, but it stands out for this version of the show.
It’s the longest run “Big Brother UK” has had in over a decade; season 16 in 2015 lasted 66 days and season 17 ended at 50.
The switch-up also moves away from the shorter format ITV introduced when it revived the series in 2023.
At its core, nothing else is changing—as far as we know. A group of strangers will move into the house, cut off from the outside world with no phones or internet, all while being filmed 24/7 as they compete to avoid eviction.
“Big Brother UK” has gone through a few different eras. It first launched on Channel 4 in 2000, moved to Channel 5 in 2011, and ended in 2018 before ITV brought it back five years later with shorter seasons.
Shorter seasons have been a big shift from earlier years. The 2023 and 2024 seasons both lasted about 42 days, or roughly six weeks. Earlier versions were much longer, with some seasons stretching past 90 days (seasons 7 through 10 went on for 93 days on average).
An eight-week season length lands somewhere in between. It’s still shorter than the show’s peak years, but noticeably longer than what viewers have seen since the reboot.
‘Celebrity Big Brother’ on Pause–for Now
ITVThere’s also a broader shift happening within the franchise.
According to The Sun, there will not be another celebrity edition of the show until 2027. For now, ITV is focused on the civilian version.
“The civilian one is far cheaper to produce than celebrity so the return on investment is worth the while,” a source previously told the outlet.
Some of the most recognizable names from “Celebrity Big Brother” include Perez Hilton, Tiffany Pollard, Gary Busey, Kirstie Alley, La Toya Jackson, David Hasselhoff, and Frankie Grande, among others.
