[Mickey2009]

Big Brother has been "complianced to within an inch of its life" following restrictions introduced after the 2007 race row, presenter Davina McCall has said.

The reality show host also said she was disappointed the programme was being axed – and suggested that she had thought of going into the house for the final celebrity big brother series next year.

Channel 4 confirmed it would drop Big Brother in 2010 following final summer and celebrity series after a dip in ratings.

McCall, speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival, said the show had become harder to make, with new rules put in place after the Celebrity Big Brother racial bullying row involving Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty.

"I mustn't talk about compliance because I will say something I will regret," she said. "Don't get me started on compliance. We were the programme where the naughty things happened and we are not allowed naughty things anymore.

"But even now when we are complicanced to an inch of our lives. It is one of the best series ever. We are so restricted but it is the tasks that provide the comedy and humour.

"I do feel compliance has been an issue and it has made the programme harder to make but we have still provided one of the best."

McCall said she believed compliance issues had been one of the reasons why the live daytime streaming of the show on E4 had been axed – although the broadcaster has insisted it was because of declining ratings.

"I think streaming is harder," she said. "There has been a lot of complaints about streaming not being on during the day, and I think that is harder because of the compliance."

McCall also said she thought the show would stay on air forever. "It didn't overstay its welcome," she said. "If you hate it, you will be really glad it will be off the screens. I will be grieving a lot.

"I have already started my greiving process, but I am trying to stay chipper because we have got another year. I thought it would go on forever. I seriously did. I thought it could run forever with amazing casting and great housemates."

The presenter also raised the prospect of going into the final celebrity version of the show in January. "I said to my husband, 'Next year is the last one, I am going in just for a night'. But he said, 'you can't'. Going into the house, it is really tough," she said.

McCall said she had not thought about whether she would front the show if it moved to another channel. "I feel like I need to finish it on Channel 4," she said.

Phil Edgar Jones, the creative director of Big Brother producer Brighter Pictures, part of Endemol, said the decision to axe the show did not come as a surprise.

"It wasn't a huge shock," he said. "It is Channel 4's decision and the right decision for them. I am sure the programme still has got life in it. I do still think it could go on forever. I am sure a programme like Big brother can be reinvented."

Jones said he planned to write a book about his experiences on the show when it ends. "I am hopefully going to write the true story about it," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009...ll-big-brother