[camertone]

Executive producer Katy Smith has said that she doesn’t think the upcoming series will be the last of Big Brother.

Although Channel 4 has axed the long-running reality show, Smith expects there to be more series in the future.

She said: “I would be really surprised if this [BB11] was actually the end of it. I think there is a lot of life left in the programme. It is an incredibly strong format and there’s a lot of legs left in it.

“I don’t know what its future is but I’d very surprised if it’s the last we see of it.”

Despite ratings dipping to an average of 2.5m last year, Smith added: “The viewing figures have always been strong for Channel 4 and it’s one of their most commercially successful programmes.

“Everybody seems to be into Big Brother again. It has peaks and troughs in popularity with the press. But everyone seems to be really behind it and really looking forward to it. We’ve had more people than ever auditioning and everyone wants to be part of the last series.”

Her comments come just a few days after BB10 housemate Marcus Akin expressed similar views.

The Wolverine-lookalike said: “I think it will go away, but it will come back.

“It will do a Gladiators… It will go away for a few years and then come back. It’s a British institution. There are too many people who are too involved in it.”

Hopefully another broadcaster will pick up the rights to Big Brother. What do you make of the news?