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Channel 4 to axe Big Brother after 11th series next year
By Sri Carmichael Last updated at 17:07pm on 26.08.09
Disaster: this year’s BB10, featuring Marcus didn’t attract viewers
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Big Brother is to be axed after a final series next summer, Channel 4 said today.
The popularity of the reality show has plummeted, with viewing figures for the current series barely reaching two million.
At its peak in 2002, when Jade Goody was a contestant and Kate Lawler won, the programme was watched by eight million people and produced profits of £68 million a year for Channel 4.
Industry insiders say the show has been struggling to make money recently as audiences and advertising revenues have fallen away, particularly since the Shilpa Shetty race row on Celebrity Big Brother engulfed Channel 4 in 2007.
MP George Galloway sparked outrage when he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2006 and embarrassed himself by dancing like a robot in a red leotard alongside cross-dressing former pop star Pete Burns.
Gallery: Big Brother's most famous contestants
The broadcaster is locked into a three-year deal with producers Endemol, thought to cost around £180 million, but it has decided not to renew the contract after the show's 11th series. There will also be one more series of Celebrity Big Brother, early next year.
Channel 4's director of television Kevin Lygo said the decision not to recommission Big Brother was a creative rather than commercial one. He said it had reached a “natural end”.
However, industry experts believe Big Brother is unlikely to disappear from British television screens, with another broadcaster expected to step in to pick up the rights from Endemol.
The decision to axe the show means Channel 4's original-drama budget will be boosted by £20 million. The broadcaster will have 200 peak hours to fill across Channel 4 and E4 from 2011 and said it has already begun reviewing its drama commissioning strategy.
Channel 4 is keen to deliver more “event dramas”, such as The Devil's Whore and Red Riding. It has already commissioned a four-part serial from film director Shane Meadows.
A drama series about the life of the Queen is the highlight of Channel 4's autumn schedules. Five actresses including Emilia Fox and Samantha Bond will play the role during pivotal moments of her reign so far.
Gallery: Big Brother's most famous contestants
Reader views (26)
I'm not surprised viewing figures are down. There is too much swearing and smoking and therefore cannot be viewed by the greater public for obvious reasons.
I have watched every year, I watch it because its unique and can b very funny. I love BBs little brother,the psychological analysis,the body language explained, davina, george lamb is good but dermot was better, this is the gem of the work, there has been less of it this year which is missed, xx
- Helena, london
Heard it yesterday and thought oh! Brill can start watching Channel4 again. Then find out nope, won't Commission a Series next year. Drat should have Cable by then so thats it.
- William, Hay~Heath UK
I delivered the editing tapes for the first 2 series to Channel 4 from the Borehamwood studio's wayback when I was a motorcycle courier,Its sad that the series is to stop but Channel 4 only have themselves to blame for putting people in the house that the majority of the viewing public cant relate to.The celebrity ones are much better because we know or can relate to the people in the house.
- Pete Ex Londoner, Hartlepool , Cleveland
makes no difference, they will only replace it with more mindless tripe!
turn off your tv sets you maniacs lolol
- Wayne, Essex UK
Watching people sleep on terrestrial TV at night is the closest thing to legalized scam there is. How lazy can a TV station get....the very cynical editing has come back to bite C4 like a mosquito - about time too.
- Gabo, London,England
Well all things have to come to an end.
But all those who say it was rubbish and good riddance must have watched at some point.
This time around I have not really watched much as the slots it is on TV clashes with other things but I have found some of the past shows quiet addictive.
I much prefer the celebrity show and Vanessa was one of my pet hates, And people like Paul Daniels and Rula Lenski came across quiet desperate but I disagree that the show with George Galloway was embarrassing to him I just loved it when he was on and so did lots of my friends it was the Sun that gave him a bad time . my favorite quote from him was to the tall lanky manic depressive I forget his name? was Poor me Poor me pour me another I just rolled up with that and in fact I would say that Galloway and Pete Burns has by far been the most entertaining in the house in fact some of my friends Teens in Germany watched the show on the Internet with them and just could not get enough of it especially Galloway.
I would also praise Galloway after the Jade Goody RIP and the stuck up Shipla raceagate show that when he hosted Big Brothers Big Mouth he was the best one to do the job as the situation could have been much worse with another presenter. top marks to him and the production team for having him
But I would like to say they do try to edit the show to make people much worse than the really are But isn't that why we watch to see the worse of people,
- Bonnie, London England
Why Why Why another series.. Just stop it NOW .Please....
- Angie M, Stratford upon Avon UK
It is so sad to see this show will be coming to an end. I have spent most of my young years watching it. It gave me roll models to look up to. What will we do without this Gem of a show? I'm shocked!!!!
- Dawn, romford, essex
Good riddance! What was the point of producing such rubbish in the first place? To go to the trouble of finding a bunch of gormless, boring, weirdos who are on the screen for hours, supposedly in the name of entertainment! Hardly, entertaining viewing! Let's hope that such dross is never allowed on our TV screens ever again, but saying that - there are countless other programmes that have a bunch of morons competing against each other. I say ban them all!
- Anon, London
Shame we still have to endure Big Bother 11 
- Paul, London
I once accidently watched this programme, which vindicated my decision to get rid of my television set.
- Neil, London, London UK
At last this "trash" is being removed. The show is lacking ethically and morally.
- Denice, London
Actually I think at the beginning it was quite entertaining but it just became pointless when people started to use it as a vehicle to move their careers on. I really don't think that the people entering it in the first two series were that blatant about it and were treating it more as a social experiment which at the time worked well. It has just come to the end of the road.
- Andrew, St. John's Wood, London
Made my day! thankyou! the show is total rubbish.
- Claire, Rutland
Big Brother was 'axed' years ago - by millions of viewers. There lies the root of today's announcement.
Now lets have some more tv about Jordan, Lily, and Fat Celebrity Ice Dancers instead....far more uplifting....
- Elmo, Barnet
I'd like to say thank God, and good riddance to this idiotic nonsense that has contributed to the dumbing down of society and fed people's most base, voyeuristic instincts. But no doubt Channel 4 will just replace it with something equally lowest common denominator, with the BBC and ITV following in its footsteps with copycat shows aimed at turning us all into gaping morons.
- Lindsay, london
"What a relief to see the end to this dire programme....but will it be the last we see of the z-list celebrities??"
Sadly not, we will still have that jungle thing and 'Hell's kitchen' and the like but at least they are put out an hour a piece rather than just there all the time without respite.
- Peace Maker, Battersea
The most rubbish, awful, disgusting programme ever! Thank god!
- Jk, London
Best news of the day!!
- Jon, London
What a relief to see the end to this dire programme....but will it be the last we see of the z-list celebrities??
- El, Cambridge
At last!...the nation breathes a sigh of relief!
- Jade, London
Thank god this brain dead rubbish is over and hopefully it's the end of the presenter's career!
- Stuart On Holiday, Orlando USA
YIPPPEEE finally the elephant is dead! Good Riddance to such dross.
- S-M Hearmon, lon
Hooraay!!! at last no more of this drivel on TV. should of been axed years ago!!!
- Jason, London UK
Good riddance.
- Kate, London
Yes! There is a God after all...!
At last, this moronic pulp aimed at the least common denominator of the population in intelligence terms is to disappear. Would-be competitors will have to find another route to micro-celebrity.
- Edward Thompson, Bedfordshire
