Failing Big Bro faces the axe

Channel 5 ‘unhappy’ with show after 18 years

IT’S year 18 in the Big Brother House – and it could be the last.

The reality show – which created a whole new TV genre and stars including the late Jade Goody – now faces eviction from the Channel 5 schedule.

Boss Ben Frow admitted yesterday he would be “happier” without it.

The Channel 5 deal for the non-celeb version ends in 2018 and Frow won’t want to spend millions, with ratings falling, say television sources.

Commenting on how ITV2’s Love Island showed young people would watch in big numbers if the show was right, he said: “I’ve got Big Brother which has declined, declined, declined.” He added: “I’d be much happier with a channel that didn’t have Big Brother on it.” Frow became boss in 2012, a year after the Big Brother brand was bought. Channel 4 had a huge hit with it after its 2000 launch. But the last series only averaged 877,000 viewers in July, down from 1.2 million in 2016. Channel 5 said “no decision had been made” beyond next year.