Big Brother producer addresses cancellation rumours: "it may go away - but it always comes back"

But this year, the story that has taken over centres on the future of the show itself. Rumours that Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother could be cancelled by Channel 5 refuse to go away.

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Last year, C5 boss Ben Frow didn't mince his words when he said he would rather his channel didn’t air Big Brother. "I would be much happier if the channel did not have Big Brother on it," he told the Edinburgh Television Festival.

Since then, Frow is understood to have tasked Endemol Shine, the production company behind the show, to deliver changes ahead of a renegotiation of their current deal which expires this year. In April, Frow again said that the show would not be returning "in its current form" on Channel 5, if it is to continue there at all.

With that in mind, RadioTimes.com spoke to Paul Osborne – the newly-appointed Creative Director of both the celebrity and civilian series, who also worked on Big Brother during its inception back in 2000 – about the axing rumours...

While stressing that he is not involved in contract discussions – “that’s up to Channel 5 and to Endemol to continue with those negotiations” – Osborne was relatively upbeat about the future of the show.

"Hopefully it will come back. I’m focused on Celebrity Big Brother and the civilian series that will follow it, and trying to make sure that they’re the best that they can possibly be."

Pressed on what he thought UK viewers would lose if Big Brother were to leave our screens for good, Osborne added: "I think as you see around the world [with international versions of the show], it may go away but it always comes back.

"We’ll see what happens, I guess..."

Celebrity Big Brother returns to Channel 5 on Thursday 16th August at 9pm