"Intelligent, Upmarket" BBUK to return late 2023 (Update: p10)

[Brekkie]

They probably could have run the trailer at the end of this series of Love Island with it not debuting till the autumn, but then originally it was supposed to air in the Spring - although you'd think they'd have got the house location sorted before confirming that.

 

[Mustard]

Sucks they lose the buzz from announcing it too early, but what’s another few months anyway when it’s been off air for so long?

Better to get it right than a shitty rushed product.

 

[timmy]

Meanwhile, about that time, we'll be watching a season of BBAU taped a whole year earlier

 

[Kingston]

Better to get it right than a shitty rushed product.

Honestly my confidence in the show has been shaken a bit by all of this. It’s not the wait that I’m bothered by but the lack of foresight and sound decision making.

 

[Brekkie]

ITV chief Kevin Lygo has said the upcoming reboot will be "interesting, intelligent, upmarket" as the company spoke to the media in the wake of their annual financial results and that the aim is to recapture the "golden period" of the early C4 years. Hopefully they can get close, though I think no mention of a live feed yet means no live feed.

‘Big Brother’: Being ‘Intelligent,’ ‘Upmarket’ Key to Revival’s Success, Says ITV Content Chief

Kevin Lygo, managing director, media and entertainment at ITV, has revealed what he thinks are the key ingredients to the success of the upcoming revival of “Big Brother” on the U.K. co…

variety.com

 

[Kingston]

When I think “golden period” I think BB5 - BB7 and I’m not really sure I’d consider that period was particularly upmarket or intelligent. I mean taking the Channel 5 era in to consideration it definitely appears to be but isolated on its own I’m not so sure.

 

[Brekkie]

I guess everyone will have different ideas of when the "golden period" was - I think he's referring to BB1-4 as in BB in it's purest form. Whether that works a couple of decades on, considering it arguably didn't work four series in (although BB4 is the 3rd or 4th highest rated series I think), remains to be seen. I think other formats do show that trusting a solid format and keeping twists within that format, rather than twisting the format, can work.

I think really the show has to stick to their guns with their first series - it needs to be a reset, so if fans complain it's boring or predictable they need to avoid hitting that panic button. They almost have to right it off as a pilot series as keeping it simple will lay solid foundations for the series ahead - but if they throw in too much too soon it'll be on rocky ground from day one and soon begin to crumble.

 

[Kingston]

I guess everyone will have different ideas of when the "golden period" was - I think he's referring to BB1-4 as in BB in it's purest form. Whether that works a couple of decades on, considering it arguably didn't work four series in (although BB4 is the 3rd or 4th highest rated series I think), remains to be seen. I think other formats do show that trusting a solid format and keeping twists within that format, rather than twisting the format, can work.

I think really the show has to stick to their guns with their first series - it needs to be a reset, so if fans complain it's boring or predictable they need to avoid hitting that panic button. They almost have to right it off as a pilot series as keeping it simple will lay solid foundations for the series ahead - but if they throw in too much too soon it'll be on rocky ground from day one and soon begin to crumble.

I guess I just disagree with the terminology used and it necessarily the direction they want to go in.

I don’t think BB has ever really been upmarket or overly intelligent. BB3 is the highest rated of the series where the most talked about character was at one point branded a pig by the media and was known for being thick AF.

Everything else you’ve said I 100% agree with…

 

[BigBrothersCousin]

I would infer that by "intelligent" he means bringing back the psychological experiment aspect. There was always a degree of trash tv, but in the early series there was an effort to make Big Brother slightly highbrow, for instance with the inclusion of psychologists (credible or not) to analyse housemates' behaviours on some episodes.

"Upmarket," I have no idea what he's talking about there. Maybe they are trying to appeal more to millennials than gen z? The target audience for series 1 was intended to be a little older than it eventually became.

 

[Brekkie]

Worth noting these comments were likely aimed at advertisers rather than fans who'll pay more if they think it is a more upmarket audience watching.