[Scarlett.]

BIG Brother chiefs claim they deliberately made the show dull this year – to stop calls for its axe.

BB8 was the least watched series to date.

But Tim Hincks, creative director of producers Endemol, insisted they played it safe on purpose.

He said staff were still reeling from the Celeb BB race row, when Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty was insulted and watchdogs received a record 45,000 complaints.

Hincks said: “It’s been on the front pages since January — and there’s no doubt that’s had an effect, as no show benefits from over-exposure.

“After the white-knuckle ride of CBB, we wanted a show without mishaps.”

He said there had been fears “the wheels have come off”.

Ratings for BB8 slumped to an average 3.8million, down from 4.7million last year.

The 13-week show was blasted for being too long, with lively housemates like Charley voted out too early and others such as Ziggy caught looking cheesed off.

Hincks said the show, already searching for next year’s contestants, could be tweaked.

Chris Locke, of media agency Starcom, said: “The show needs to be sharper, six weeks at the most.”

The Sun