ITV is believed to be splashing out a whopping £2 million on a lineup of big names for Celebrity Big Brother, which is making its long-awaited return to screens this year.
As the rebooted show wrapped in November, ITV announced that we’d also be getting a brand new celebrity series.
“Celebrity Big Brother will see a new cast of famous faces isolated from the outside world as they embark on the ultimate social experiment, taking up residence in the iconic Big Brother house,” ITV said.
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“Leaving luxury behind, the celebrities will take part in weekly nominations and tough tasks with cameras capturing their every move.
“Who will win the hearts of the nation, go all the way to the finish line and be crowned the winner?”
It follows the success of the revived series of Big Brother, which launched on its new ITV home this autumn with 3.6 million viewers across ITV1, STV, ITV2 and ITVX in a ‘disruptive' multi-channel takeover.
“Now, following the success of the debut series, a star-studded celebrity edition will air on ITV1 and STV next year,” the channel added.
Preparation is now underway for the celebrity series, with a number of stars already said to be in talks about appearing in the show – including the likes of Rebekah Vardy, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York and Louis Walsh.
According to the Sun, ITV bosses are spending a huge £2 million to secure the big names, with a TV insider telling the outlet: “The team behind the programme are being clever about the kind of celebs they’re considering. They don’t just want big names in there - they want stars who will bring something truly intriguing.
“Louis is just the kind of figure they want in the house - someone with serious life experience who not only has something to say, but isn’t afraid to say it.
“These characters have delivered some of the most outstanding moments of Celebrity Big Brother in the past and they’ll want to produce those again. That means they may need to splash some cash to secure the people they have their eye on - but it’s a worthwhile investment.
“They want this to be on a par with I’m A Celebrity, which has a similarly claustrophobic environment involving celebrities completing strange challenges under the glare of the public eye.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time that ITV was prepared to pay the big bucks to land high profile stars, having reportedly paid out £1.5 million for Nigel Farage in the latest season of I’m a Celeb.
However, no housemates have been officially confirmed yet, so you’ll just have to watch this space.
A Big Brother spokesperson said: “Any names for Celebrity Big Brother are purely speculation.”
Topics: TV And Film, Celebrity Big Brother, ITV, Big Brother
Jess Hardiman