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Big Brother's Brian Belo reaches settlement with TOWIE bosses after claims they stole the idea from him

The reality star took legal action against ITV and Lime Pictures and has settled the case out of court, according to reports

Big Brother winner Brian Belo has reached a settlement with ITV and Lime Pictures, after taking legal action against the makers of TOWIE last March.

According to Broadcast, the case was due to be heard at the High Court today but a final attempt at negotiations saw all parties reach a settlement.

Belo, himself an Essex boy, claimed that the makers of the structured reality soap had adapted and reproduced part of a format he had originally developed with Sassy Films and Massive TV.

The trio said they took the idea to Lime Pictures in March and July 2009 and sent a tape and treatment to ITV in November 2009. The show launched on ITV2 in 2010.

They also highlighted a series of emails that they believe demonstrated ownership of the format.

A key part of ITV's defence was that the concept developed by Belo, Sassy and Massive - called Totally Essex - was not a “dramality” show like The Only Way is Essex, but a “fly on the wall documentary".

Source

Nice one Brian, glad he effectively won