Channel 5 boss admits he was "delighted" to "get rid" of Big Brother

"It's the best decision ever."

AJ Odudu and Will Best stood next to the Big Brother eye logo, which is dripping with paint.

ITV

Published: Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 4:09 pm

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Ben Frow, Director of Programming at Channel 5, has admitted he was "relieved" to "get rid" of Big Brother.

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The acclaimed reality show originally ran on Channel 4 from 2000 t0 2010, before moving to Channel 5 from 2011 to 2018. The show then moved to ITV for its revival.

Speaking at the 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival, Frow was asked if he regrets letting the show go.

"Oh my God, no! I was delighted to get rid of Big Brother," he responded.

"It took me a long time to persuade the business to get rid of Big Brother because I think they were very frightened that the wheels would fall off.

"But we would not be able to be doing what we're doing if we still had Big Brother. It wasn't a Channel Five show, it was a Channel Four show."

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He added: "It cost far too much money. It was only going one way, and we couldn't have done drama if we still had Big Brother. So, look what it's done for us. It's the best decision ever."

Frow also revealed that casting is now ongoing for Channel 5's "Shakespearean" drama about Nicola Sturgeon, and teased upcoming shows Life Support (a factual medical series filmed like a drama) and Impossible Way To Die (a sinister crime thriller).

The next season of Big Brother is set to arrive on ITV in September. However, the future of Celebrity Big Brother has been left uncertain.

A source claimed in a statement to The Sun: "Bosses face a huge challenge trying to sign up celebrities because so many of them are now pressing their agents to get them on The Celebrity Traitors. That is already causing problems for other big shows, like Strictly and I’m A Celebrity, which rely of star contestants because they now find themselves as second in the pecking order.

"So that is an even greater issues for a show like Celebrity Big Brother because now it’s on ITV, it needs a certain calibre of contestant which are very hard to sign up now. ITV are already having to find two lots of stars to compete on I’m A Celebrity this autumn as well as its spin off show, The Wild Frontier, which is expected to air in early 2027 – which is exactly the same time ITV were hoping to drop the new series of CBB."

A spokesperson for ITV said at the time: "Big Brother returns to ITVX and ITV2 later this year. No decisions have been made for 2027 as yet."

Big Brother returns later this year.

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Authors

Louise GriffinSci-Fi and Fantasy Editor

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.

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