Big Brother (British TV series) series 21

Big Brother 2024, also known asBig Brother 21, was the twenty-first series ofBig Brother. It was the second civilian series ofBig Brotherto air onITV2afterITV plcgained the rights to the format, and the third series to air on the network overall.The series began on 6 October 2024 and was again co-presented byAJ OduduandWill Best, who also returned to host the companion show,Big Brother: Late & Live.
The series concluded on 15 November 2024, when Ali Bromley was announced as the winner with Marcello Dentamaro finishing as the runner-up. At 41 days, this was the shortest-running civilian series ofBig Brotherin the UK, surpassing theprevious serieswhich ran for 42 days.
In August 2023, prior to the beginning of thetwentieth series, which was the first to be commissioned byITVfollowing the programme's revival on the channel, ITV's commissioning editor Paul Mortimer confirmed at theEdinburgh International Television Festivalthat the show would return for a twenty-first series in 2024, stating that the show had been confirmed for "two six-week runs" and also hinted at a revival ofCelebrity Big Brother, which in turn was also commissioned and aired its first series on ITV, thetwenty-third seriesofCelebrity Big Brother, in March 2024.Applications for the series opened on 17 November 2023, during the final of the previous series, and closed on 31 July 2024.
The series is set retained the same format from theprevious series, running for 36 episodes and airing six nights a week from Sunday to Friday.Unlike the previous civilian series, the launch show was live, and as a result the series ran for 41 days, the shortest series in the show's history.ITV confirmed that the series would again feature a "new cast of carefully selected housemates, from all walks of life" [...] with "cameras capturing [the housemates'] every move, and the nation following every twist and turn."Shopping tasks, nominations and live evictions will return, with the public once again voting throughout the series and ultimately determining the winner, who will walk away with a cash prize.Hosts Odudu and Best also teased that the tasks for this series would be "taken up a notch".
In April 2024, it was reported that theBig Brotherhouse was set to be moved from Garden Studios due to it being situated next to a canal, which in turn had resulted in disruption from the public and boat users.However these rumours were later debunked a month later, with planning applications revealing that the house would remain at Garden Studios, with the live set and garden situated in the same place as it was for the previous series.On 4 October 2024, two days before the show's launch,Richard Arnoldconducted a tour of the kitchen and living area onGood Morning Britain, before ITV revealed photos of the house on social media later that day.The house maintained a similar structure to the previous series, but with updated colour schemes, as well as decor that resembled dripping paint throughout the house which adapted the theme of the eye logo.The diary room chair also followed the same theme, with multi-coloured cushioning and the outside frame taking the shape of dripping paint.
On 29 July 2024, the official eye logo for the series was revealed in a 20-second teaser trailer, which aired during the ad-break of the final of theeleventh seriesofLove Island.The eye depicts different coloured paint mixed together which in turn, drips down to the bottom of the screen.
The official trailer for the series was released on 13 September 2024. It featured a smaller model of the previous series' house, filled withguinea pigswho are seen in different rooms undertaking various activities, all of which are being overseen by hosts Odudu and Best who peer inside.A further promotional teaser on social media featured a person walking towards theLondon Eye, which features the new eye logo inside it. The series was also promoted via billboards featuring the guinea pigs from the trailer.
On 6 October 2024, the day of launch show, the Big Brother social media accounts posted close-up teasers of the sixteen housemates' eyes several hours prior to the launch.
The main events in theBig Brother 21house are summarised in the table below.
Official 7-day consolidated ratings in the table below are taken from Thinkbox and include +1, butexcludeviewership on devices.
On Day 17, during the episode broadcast on 22 October 2024, housemate Ali Bromley was shown to be wearing a black t-shirt with a watermelon in the shape ofthe region of Palestine, with the fruit being useda symbol of solidaritywith theState of Palestinein the wake of theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.
Following the airing of that night's highlight programme, both it and the accompanyingLate & Liveepisode were taken down from ITVX following a complaint to the regulatorOfcombyCampaign Against Antisemitism. Following the re-upload of both programmes, Bromley's t-shirt was censored, with the watermelon removed.