Big Brother will remain a primetime fixture this year and Davina McCall will return as presenter, Channel 4 confirmed today.

Executives, speaking at the launch of their spring and summer lineup, also said it would run for 13 weeks, as last year, but remained tight-lipped about other details of Big Brother 9.

Angela Jain, commissioning editor, said producers were close to finalising the new presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother following the departure of Dermot O'Leary, but declined to give names.

Reports today said Konnie Huq, Alexa Chung and Miquita Oliver were in the running.

Channel 4 head Julian Bellamy said Big Brother's place in the schedule was also as yet unconfirmed. He denied rumours it may move to a later time but left open the option of switching it between 9pm and 10pm.

The show has been under pressure in recent years because of allegations of racism, falling audiences and calls for Channel 4 to focus on public service programming. Celebrity Big Brother was this year replaced with Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, on E4 rather than the flagship channel.

However, Bellamy said the show would remain a primetime fixture for Channel 4.

"I think it is a brilliant programming, I love it," he said. "It will be back this summer, hopefully with a bang, after a period where we have rested the celebrity version in order to reinvigorate the main series.

"It's a big primetime show and will remain, whether it's at 9pm or 10pm on different days. It depends on the competitive context."

Source- DS

How many of these threads do we need! We should just have a rumors one and a official info one and this is like the fourth info thread!

I wanted it to run for less than 13 weeks. I hope it gets the 10pm slot.

Point me to other threads where this has been posted?

This is official information from Channel 4, not rumours from the Daily Star or other forum members. Worthy of its own thread? I think so.

I wanted a 10 or 11 week series because that is about the right length, not too drawn out but I hope they don't have an eviction for the first few weeks rather than introduce a ridiculous HND variation half way in.

I hope it goes out at 10pm Monday-Thursday, and 9pm Friday-Sunday. I want the Saturday highlights to return as well.

This deserves it's own thread.

The problem having it 13 weeks long is that there isn't enough entertainment for 13 weeks, it gets boring after week 10.

You should just have one thread for official info so and any new stuff anyone finds like this can go into the one. Then have a one for rumors and any new rumors can go into that one. that way there's a HQ for people to look for info and rumors instead of clogging up the forum. I'm not saying the info in this thread is fake or rubbish I'm just saying that it could easliy go into the other "BB9 Info" threads.

PS

I think it should be 11 weeks, that way it stretches out ever last peice of entertainment but doesn't get boring.

Those threads don't have official info in them.

Then maybe you should put some into them instead of starting yet another thread. I'm not saying it's pointless to give this info out it just doesn't nessecarily need to have another new thread for it.

And now you are contradicting yourself. You said there should be one thread for rumours, one thread for official information. The rest are all rumours. This is the first piece of official information.

It means they will almost certainly have an extra bunch of Housemates to throw in halfway through.

Fairly pointless judging by the quality of the BB7/BB8 latecomers.

I don't have time to agrue with people who are picking fights. Lets just call it a day and have this be the "Official BB9 Info" thread and disregard the others.

This really should be in the info thread but it is indeed worthy of it's own.

I fear they haven't learned this year, I spoke to one of the producers via e-mail for a number of weeks and everytime I suggested 10-12 weeks he agreed, so what the hell is he doing allowing them to make it 13?

It shows the producers haven't listened to the fans want because the majority of the fans wanted the show to be shortened, so what else are they going to do which the fans don't want to happen.

Well, to be fair there were probably about 5 or 6 other people discussing the duration of series.

I like the sound of everything so far apart from the presenting line up. The 13 weeks might work. Even 11 or 12 weeks could be better, but if it's true what I read yesterday about a team working on BB9 since half way through last series the extra week or so might be worth it!

how do you know the "majority" of the fans wanted it to be shortened?

I don't think theres enough content for 13 weeks. It might have worked in BB4 or BB5 when all the twisted hadn't been *****d so much but then again if they made it shorter now it might look as if the show is failing and they're trying to make it easier for fans when its axed.

You clearly don't understand. Big Brother is made by an independent production company away from Channel 4- Endemol. Endemol do not have a say in how long the series is, and when it is scheduled for that matter. The producers belong to Endemol so may have their own views about how long the series should be, but if Channel 4 want the series to be 13 weeks, then ultimately that is how long it has to be.

The producers may have listened and this may be evident in the production, which Channel 4 have no control over.

I would say cut it way back to something like BB5, 8 weeks give or take.

Getting Excited!!!!!!!!11

Cool!

I can't wait now bring on the rumors!

Every piece of news deserves it's own thread. There is no real point in squishing every piece of news into one generic thread. There was no problem with giving every piece of news its own thread last year.

Anyway, this is good news - I just hope they have a good enough plan to keep viewers gripped for 13 weeks!

EDIT: According to the C4 Spring/Summer press release, Big Brother's Big Mouth and Diary Room Uncut will be returning too

Do you know where I might get a copy of that or do you have a URL to it?

Here is what it says about Big Brother:

Thanks but I need the URL