Day 29: C5 to extend Big Brother House and stage ahead of BB17

Channel 5 are to rebuild the Big Brother House and exterior stage following this series of Celebrity Big Brother.

In papers filed to Borehamwood Council, the Big Brother House would be extended from the side, allowing for a brand new garden to be constructed. Alongside the construction of a new garden and task areas, the exterior stage will be completely changed with a new eviction stage building erected where the current eye stage stands.

The new construction would add over 700 meters of space comprising 488sqm of interior rooms, and a 186sqm second garden with its own pool – surrounded by 165sqm of additional camera runs. The plans do refer to the new extension as “2nd House” which could mean a twist for the new series.

In the application that was sent in for planning permission it says: “The application seeks to extend the set of the Big Brother House at the north east corner and to create an additional external area within the compound of the Big Brother House.

The application also proposes to replace the existing temporary steel studio structure located to the north-west of the house. The studio is used for interviewing contestants and the current structure is unsuitable for use in bad weather conditions”

The application also requests a decision by 17th March 2016 “due to the series needing a significant lead-in period.”

The House has been standing at Elstree since 2002 – where Big Brother moved from its original home in Bow – and has housed every series since Big Brother 3. The last major construction work took place in 2008 where Channel 4 demolished the back of the House and rebuild.

Celebrity Big Brother continues until Friday, and the next civilian series of Big Brother is scheduled to start in May or June.