Hmm that's true. So was it Endemol's responsibility to sell the rights to a different channel to make Big Brother and how much say do Endemol have in the way it's made?

Endemol had no idea channel 5 was interested. Remember by this stage it was still owned by the RTL group who made it clear they were not interested in the format as they were losing money and too much of a risk. It wasn't until Richard Desmond bought channel 5 that any intention of Big Brother being on channel 5 was announced.


Also remember guys at one point Endemol put in a big to purchase Channel 5 but were outbid by Richard Desmond.

To be honest I actually have no idea how much input the channel have into the makings of the show. It kind of confuses because we all talk about how "channel 4" used to do things but we don't actually know how much of the change has come from the show itself and not just the channel it airs on.

But yes, endemol own and make the show, the channel purchase the rights to air it.

As far as I know its Endemol who make it. Channel 5 basically just say, "make Big Brother" and Endemol carry on. Jeff Ford said on last years series that they only had one meeting with Endemol and that they wanted Emma to host, and Endemol just carried on.

Then why the drastic change from the way it was on Channel 4 to the way it is on Channel 5?:shrug:

:shrug: The channel must have some influence/input. I just don't know how much. :laugh:

Ben Frow took over as controller in Febuary 2013, so it will have been him and not Jeff :).

Ah, right. I didn't know that. Thanks.

:dance:

Ah, okay.

Cheers, thanks for the info!

Makes it harder to know who to direct your annoyance at. :laugh:

So channel 5's only input last summer was the best decision made on C5 BB to sack Brian? :laugh:

Pretty much :hehe:

I don't think Big Brother would have returned if it was put to rest.

If no one bought the rights after the last C4 BB then no doubt the house would have been knocked down and used for other productions on that site. That would have meant any channel bringing it back years down the line would have to invest heavily in a new site to host the show. Not cheap when you consider how low viewing figures are. I doubt any channel could warrant the investment when millions could be pumped into some new hyped up reality show.

Maybe 20-30 years down the line the show would come back. But "a few years" rest would have never happened.

I think it's safe to say Big Brother is more of a cult show these days than it ever was. Viewing figures certainly confirm that there is a dedicated audience around the 1 million mark (probably more realistically around 800,000 to 900,000). Celeb BB seems more of a general show that more people watch. I can see civilian BB coming to a close in a few years time and CBB becoming a main event (that's if either actually get renewed, as far as things go BBUK ends this summer!). Then a few years down the line that will die out and I doubt Big Brother will ever return, or at the least it won't return for for a good decade or three.

No more expensive than building any other "set". I don't think that would've been an issue.

Big Brother will keep going for a very long time, it's like people were saying when it ended on channel 4, it may go on to no longer be called Big Brother, and be changed beyond its original premise but it will keep going because of its format.

BB started the reality crap that's taken over TV since it started in Holland in '97.

It won't stay the same, but it won't completely disappear for a long time.

You could even say things like I'm a Celeb are Big Brother just under a different name. They all spin off from the same thing.

Just want to say that Endemol renewed the rights to keep the Big Brother House at Elstree until 2013 before Channel 5 were interested in buying BB.

News article - ITV changed their mind on Big Brother bid?
 

Sam:) has posted a new TiBB frontpage article.

Excerpt of article quoted above. Read full article here - http://www.thisisbigbrother.com/bigb...other-bid.html

When did the front page get a redesign?

Looks much better.