Big Brother 2023, also known as Big Brother 20, was the twentieth series of Big Brother to air in the United Kingdom. It is the first series to air on ITV2 after ITV gained the rights to the series in August 2022, almost four years since it last aired on Channel 5. The series began on 8 October 2023, with a launch show airing simultaneously on both ITV (ITV1 and STV) and ITV2, with the remainder of the series broadcasting primarily on the latter channel. It is co-presented by AJ Odudu and Will Best, who also front the companion show, Big Brother: Late & Live.

On 17 November 2023, Jordan Sangha was announced as the winner of the series, beating Olivia Young who finished as runner-up.^[1] At 42 days, this was the shortest-running regular series of Big Brother in the UK, surpassing the seventeenth series, which lasted 50 days.^[2]

In April 2022, it was reported in several tabloid newspapers that ITV Studios were in talks with production company Banijay, who own the rights to Big Brother, to revive the series in 2023, following a five-year hiatus.^[3][4] On 1 August 2022, during the final of the eighth series of Love Island, a 20-second teaser trailer aired on ITV2, with ITV subsequently confirming that the show would return for a new series in 2023. ITV are the third network to gain the rights to the series, following the cancellations of the show on Channel 4 and Channel 5 in 2010 and 2018 respectively.^[5][6][7]

Following the announcement of the series, Paul Mortimer, the director of Reality Commissioning and Acquisitions said: "This refreshed, contemporary new series of Big Brother will contain all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round [...] We’re beyond excited to bring this iconic series to ITV2 and ITVX where it should especially engage with our younger viewers."^[8][9] Ian Katz, the chief content officer for Channel 4, who originally broadcast the show from 2000 until 2010 said of the show's revival that whilst it was a "wonderful show" [...] that "there [was] something depressing about this microwave moment of TV of shows being reheated."^[10][11]

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Kevin Lygo, the Managing Director of Media and Entertainment at ITV said that the success of Love Island influenced the network's decision to recommission Big Brother, saying that "We look at Love Island and we see this extraordinarily successful show that defies all current logic and goes against what people say, that young people don’t watch terrestrial television."^[12] However, he noted that the series was unlikely to "skew [an audience] as young as Love Island does" due to the former show's legacy, and called it "arguably the sort of best thing there's ever been on television, or most extraordinary thing, that shaped most television afterwards".^[13][14] Lygo also added that the key to Big Brother was to keep it like it was in its "golden period".^[15]

Davina McCall, who presented the programme on Channel 4 from the show's inception until its original cancellation in 2010, ruled out a return as presenter. She stated that although she "loved the show with all her heart" and had the best 11 years of [her] life [...] and that whoever [hosts the show]... she [would] be supporting it with every fibre in her body", she added that she didn't think it would be her [presenting].^[16][17] McCall later stated in an interview on Radio X that she would have returned to present the series had she been asked, but maintained her stance that the show was in "safe hands".^[18][19] She did however express interest in filming a cameo prior to the show's opening titles to state her infamous phrase "Fancy another one", which she would use on double eviction nights.^[20] Emma Willis, the presenter of the programme prior to its cancellation on Channel 5, also ruled out the possibility of her returning as host saying that she "loved [her] time on the show" but "very much kind of said goodbye to it back then because [she] thought it was over".^[21] Willis did however express interest in appearing as a guest panellist on the series' spin-off show.^[22] Former Big Brother's Little Brother presenter Dermot O'Leary said that whilst he was sure the new series would be a "hit with viewers", added that the show needed to be "less of a popularity contest" and go back to how it was in the early days as "more of a social experiment".^[23] Rylan Clark, who won the eleventh series of Celebrity Big Brother and went on to present the spin-off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side between 2013 and 2018 said he was "devastated" not to be involved in the show's reboot [...] adding that he had "naively assumed that he would have been asked back [as presenter].^[24][25]

It was initially reported that the series was set to launch in March 2023, following the conclusion of the ninth series of Love Island.^[26][27] However, it was later confirmed that the series would launch in autumn 2023.^[28][29] This was said to be due to the high influx of reality television programming on the broadcaster earlier in the year and to avoid clashing with the upcoming series of Love Island and I'm a Celebrity... South Africa, with Big Brother receiving a "more prominent slot" in the autumn schedule.^[30][31] It was also confirmed that the series would be accompanied by a spin-off show.^[32][33] Applications for the series opened online on 10 October 2022.^[34] They were originally set to close on 27 January 2023, however, following the announcement of the series being delayed until the autumn, the application window was extended a further three times until 30 June and 14 July, before ultimately closing on 27 July 2023.^[35][36][37] Over 30,000 applications were received for the series, with producers shortlisting around 500 applicants to conduct in-person interviews.^[38]

Following the announcement of the reboot, speculation as to who would be presenting the series began, with the media reporting various potential hosts including Mo Gilligan,^[39] Emily Atack,^[40] Vick Hope,^[40] Olivia Attwood^[41] and Roman Kemp, the latter of whom confirmed he had been "in talks" with producers of the series.^[42] In April 2023, ITV announced that AJ Odudu and Will Best would be presenting the series.^[43][44] Odudu previously co-presented Big Brother's Bit on the Side alongside Clark in 2013, whilst Best regularly appeared as a panellist on the show.^[45] Upon her appointment as presenter, Odudu said she was "so excited to finally be able to say that, yes: [she is] hosting Big Brother! I couldn't be happier" adding that "following in the footsteps of some of [her] favourite broadcasting legends to front such an iconic show is an absolute honour - and to do it alongside my amazing friend Will is the icing on the cake.", whilst Best said he "grew up with Big Brother so getting a chance to host it with [his] mate AJ is a dream come true. I can't wait to tell some housemates not to swear."; in reference to former presenter McCall's catchphrase.^[43][46][47]

In June 2023, it was reported that the show's theme song, which had been used since its inception in 2000, could be axed following accusations of sexual harassment allegations against Paul Oakenfold made earlier in the month. However a remixed version of the original theme tune was used in the series' eye reveal, which ultimately served as the theme tune for the series.^[48] In July 2023, several news outlets reported that the series was planning to bring back former housemates in a bid to "recapture the magic" of the original series, however ITV later confirmed the reports were false.^[49][50]

On 7 October 2023, a day prior to the airing of the launch show, the Big Brother social media accounts posted close-up teasers of the sixteen housemates' eyes.^[83]

The main events in the Big Brother 20 house are summarised in the table below.

Official 7-day consolidated ratings in the table below are taken from Thinkbox and include +1, but exclude viewership on devices.

The first episode was simulcast on ITV1 and ITV2; the rating listed is both added together (2.436m and 0.954m respectively).^[152]

ITV Media announced that across 36 episodes, this series was streamed 38 million streams - an average of 1.06 per episode.^[153]

Including streaming figures on ITVX, this brings the series average to 2.77 million, the highest-rated civilian series of Big Brother since the eleventh series in 2010.