BIG BROTHER is back with a bang and ITV is tipping it as the ‘biggest series yet’ with plenty of twists, turns and unexpected surprises in store.
So far, we’ve already been confirmed to have an extended run of the show, a live streamed ‘dry run’ and shock new changes involving the cast all lined up. But when does the show finish this year?
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When does Big Brother 2026 finish?
As previously mentioned, this years version of the social experiment show is bringing plenty of fresh ideas to the table.
However, one constant is that AJ Odudu and Will Best are returning for more, having hosted the show together for the past three years.
Since its reboot in 2023, the show has typically run for six weeks but that’s changed ahead of the fourth instalment.
Getting underway at 9pm on Sunday, September 13, the new series of Big Brother is set to air across a lengthy eight weeks.
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It marks a return to the show’s original, famously longer format back in its Channel 4 and Channel 5 days – with the first season running for over nine weeks.
Taking that into account, the ITV series will likely air its final episode of this year’s edition 56 days after the opener, which would be Friday, November 6.
Traditionally, the finale has a runtime of 90 minutes with the winner being announced in the last 15/20 minutes of the broadcast.
Until then, new episodes typically air every night on ITV2, with the exception of Saturdays.
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This year, Companion show Late & Live is being replaced by a visualised podcast series called Big Brother: The Group Chat, hosted by Big Brother legend Kate Lawler and podcaster GK Barry.
Episodes of that are set to air Sunday to Thursday nights straight after the main show, with exclusive interviews with evicted housemates, celebrity fans and special guests.
Who’s on the Big Brother cast?
The batch of strangers moving into the famous house this year will have their identities kept tightly under wraps until the first episode.
However, a twist for the show revealed by The Sun involves former BB stars dropping in to surprise the housemates, with Series 4 winner Chantelle Houghton among those in talks.
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A source said: “ITV bosses have been tapping up famous Big Brother stars to return to the house from all of the series – and Chantelle was seen as their perfect Channel 4 signing.
“She went into the celebrity house as a civilian, so to send her into the civilian series as a celeb seems like a fun twist. Chantelle is larger than life and game for anything.
“Big Brother bosses are still securing famous names to go into the house as guests in residence – and they think it’ll be a brilliant twist.”