Hugely popular ITV show Celebrity Big Brother is reportedly facing the axe, 25 years after it first aired.
The reality show, a celebrity spin-off from the regular version, saw celebrities enter the Big Brother House and live with one another for a few weeks.
It originally aired in 2001, one year after the main show started, and ran for 22 series until 2018.
It then returned in 2024, with new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best, and was due to come back for a third rebooted series next year.
ITV's Celebrity Big Brother 'set to be axed' after 25 years
However, the show is now reportedly being cancelled and will likely not air in 2027, according to The Sun.
Both the core show and its celebrity spin-off originally aired on Channel 4 and then Channel 5, before ITV Studios made a deal with Banijay, which owns the rights, to revive the show in 2023.
The reality show has had three series air in 2023, 2024 and 2025, with two new celebrity series airing in 2024 and 2025.
Each was won by David Potts and Jack P Shepherd, respectively.
It was shelved for 2026 with reports that it may return in 2027, but now this appears not to be the case.
Key staff working behind the scenes on Celebrity Big Brother are "already operating on the basis that it won’t be coming back", The Sun reports.
An insider told the publisher: "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."
The normal version is set to go ahead later this year as planned.
An ITV spokesperson said: "Big Brother returns to ITVX and ITV2 later this year.
"No decisions have been made for 2027 as yet."
Big Brother fans 'raging' at prospect of celeb version being axed
Fans of the show have taken to Reddit to react to the potential of the show being cancelled.
One said: "It's a shame.. it just feels like ITV doesn't have the time and attention they need to make BB to work for them, they really could revitalise it if they put the effort in."
Another wrote: "Shame I quite enjoyed the last series but probably didn't do the numbers ITV were hoping.
"There isn't really anything else comparable in terms of reality tv, just watching celebs chill in a house and do the tasks."
A third added: "Raging. The celebrity version is my favourite."
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A fourth wrote: "The issue with celebrity big brother is it’s either hit or miss when it comes to the celebrities.
"Some years are great, but other years become a competition of egos from reality stars.
"I think the civilian series gets to balance out personality types more rather than how famous they are.
"That being said I do wish they would do a CBB every 3 years or so rather than park it entirely."
What do you think about Celebrity Big Brother potentially being axed? Let us know in the comments.
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