ITV make HUGE change to Big Brother ahead of second civilian series – and fans will love it
WHEN the rebooted Big Brother burst onto ITV screens last year, fans couldn’t help but notice the absence of one important element.
The house was back, so was the iconic theme tune and the sound of narrator Marcus Bentley – but it was all pre-recorded.
Despite clever editing, there was no mistaking the fact that it wasn’t live… and producers aren’t about to make the same mistake again.
A TV insider said: “Big Brother fans are a discerning bunch and they have certain expectations about what they should get with their favourite reality TV show.
“The live element is incredibly important to them as it adds a little edge to proceedings.
“They brought back the live element for the celebrity version last autumn and it didn’t cause too many problems.
“But it did bring back the important sense that anything could happen, and it would all be caught on camera.
“That’s even more exciting given the fact that this is NOT the celebrity version, so we really have no idea what kind of characters are going to emerge from the limousines and go into the house.”
Big Brother is likely to return next month, though the exact date has yet to be confirmed by ITV. What is certain is that AJ Odudu and Will Best will be taking over hosting responsibilities for a third time.
The live launch show was a tradition put in place when Big Brother was launched on Channel 4 and continued there up to 2010 with host Davina McCall.
That didn’t change when it was on Channel 5 from 2011 to 2018 under the control of presenter Emma Willis.
Only when it jumped to ITV last year was it pre-recorded.
And I, for one, am glad Big Brother will be going back to its roots.
HARLAN’S A WRITING MACHINE
HARLAN Coben is the man of the moment when it comes to creating nail-biting thrillers.
But the US writer, behind Netflix hits Fool Me Once and The Stranger, says it’s not hard coming up with stories.
In fact, it’s all he thinks about. He joked: “ I don’t enjoy things, I don’t collect things, it’s my family and writing. If I don’t do that, I feel worthless.”
He already has another on the way, with Missing You, starring Richard Armitage, Rosalind Eleazar and Ashley Walters, expected next year.
It’s the fourth time Harlan has cast Richard, but he’s not keen to reveal if he wants new talent, adding: “We’ve got to work with Joanna Lumley and Michelle Keegan.
“It feels like bad karma to name someone new now.”
Costume drama for Dan
HE was Bridgerton’s suave newcomer in the latest series, dressed in coat and tails covered in sparkling crystals.
But Daniel Francis feared he’d be in bother with Netflix if he kept character Lord Marcus Anderson’s Regency-style outfits.
And he reckoned the clobber would make nipping to the loo a real chore. He said: “Some costume pieces were sensational. You find yourself thinking, ‘When we finish filming, could we take that?’. But no, Netflix would say, ‘Give us that outfit back, you’re gone’. Everything is custom-made, but it’s hard to go to the toilet.”
He also refused to say what’s next for Marcus, the brother of Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury and love interest of Lady Bridgerton, played by Ruth Gemmell, admitting: “Everyone’s guess is as good as mine.”
It’ll be a long two-year wait to find out . . .