Big Brother UK returns with live launch and £100,000 prize

Big Brother UK returns to television screens with a live launch on Sunday, September 28, as ITV broadcasts the civilian series on ITV2 at 9 p.m. British Summer Time. The episode, which will run about 90 minutes, will usher a new group of housemates into the show that ITV says carries a life changing cash prize for the winner. Hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best will front the launch and the nightly wrap show Big Brother Live Late.

ITV scheduled the regular series to air Sunday through Friday nights on ITV2, with episodes also available to stream on the broadcaster’s ITVX platform. The launch will be repeated on ITV1 at 10.15 p.m., and the Big Brother Live Stream returns to ITVX seven nights a week, giving viewers round the clock access to live house footage into the small hours after Big Brother Live Late. ITV said the series will run continuously for 48 days, and the eventual winner will take home 100,000 pounds.

The return follows a summer celebrity edition and comes during the program’s 25th anniversary year. Broadcasters describe the upcoming civilian run as Season 22, marking a quarter century since the series premiered in 2000, while promotional materials have also referred to it...