Big Brother 2026: Bov Boys take over new house before Sunday’s launch
Big Brother is preparing to throw open the doors of its famous house for a brand-new series this weekend — but before the real housemates get anywhere near it, a group of online troublemakers are being handed the keys.
For the first time in Big Brother UK history, viewers will be allowed to watch the programme’s pre-series “dry run”, as creator collective The Bov Boys move into the brand-new house for a chaotic 24-hour takeover ahead of Sunday’s launch.
The special live stream begins at 12pm on Saturday 12 September, just one day before AJ Odudu and Will Best welcome this year’s housemates and the latest Big Brother experiment officially gets under way.
And there will be plenty that is new when those housemates arrive, including a reimagined “house of surprises”, a striking new eye-shaped Diary Room chair and a new companion show fronted by Big Brother legend Kate Lawler and GK Barry.
Big Brother opens its secret dry run to viewers
A dry run is normally one of the unseen final stages of preparing Big Brother for broadcast.
It allows producers to test the house, cameras and wider production operation using temporary occupants before the actual housemates arrive.
This year, however, viewers are being invited behind the scenes for the first time.
The Bov Boys will enter the completed house and remain there for 24 hours while producers put the cameras and production set-up through their final tests.
The entire takeover will be streamed continuously across Twitch and YouTube, allowing viewers to follow what happens inside from the group’s arrival until they are finally sent packing.
Who are The Bov Boys?
The Manchester-based content collective has built a huge online following through its chaotic humour, larger-than-life personalities and troublemaking antics.
The takeover will feature Angry Ginge — winner of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! — alongside Tays, Jakey Davies and Chazza.
And they will not be entering the house alone.
The group has invited fellow content creators Adeola Patronne, Mariam Musa, Shauna Games and Scouse Mali to join the takeover.
Also heading inside is Pieface, who already knows exactly what life under Big Brother’s watchful eye is like.
He appeared as a housemate on Big Brother in 2015, competing under his real name, Jack McDermott.
The takeover will effectively give viewers their first extended opportunity to see the new house in action before this year’s official contestants move in.
It also presents producers with a rather unusual final stress test: keeping a group known for online chaos under observation while simultaneously making sure the technical operation is ready for launch night.
The 24-hour takeover begins at 12pm on Saturday 12 September, with a live co-stream available through The Bov Boys’ individual Twitch accounts as well as the BBUK and ITV Reality YouTube channels.
Big Brother returns on Sunday
Once The Bov Boys have been sent packing, attention turns to the people who will actually call the house home.
AJ Odudu and Will Best return to host Big Brother as a new group of strangers enters the famous house when the new series launches on Sunday 13 September.
The series begins at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
This year’s home has been reimagined as a “house of surprises”, with producers promising unexpected twists and game-changing moments designed to keep its occupants guessing.
Housemates will face tasks, high-stakes nominations and dramatic live evictions as relationships, rivalries and alliances develop under constant observation.
And, as ever, the public will ultimately decide who survives until the final and takes home the winner’s cash prize.
Big Brother’s new Diary Room chair revealed
One of the most recognisable pieces of furniture on British television has also been given another dramatic makeover.
This year’s Big Brother Diary Room chair takes the shape of the programme’s iconic eye, creating what is effectively a giant three-dimensional version of the symbol synonymous with the show.
The predominantly red and orange chair is framed by a sweeping illuminated eye-shaped surround, with a large circular representation of a human iris positioned directly behind the housemate.
Inside the eye, dozens of soft, rounded spheres in shades of red, orange, pink and muted purple cover the curved interior, while a large red cushioned seat stretches across its base.
Set against the deep blue surroundings of the Diary Room, the vivid red eye creates a particularly striking contrast.
And there is something appropriately Big Brother about its most unusual feature: when a housemate sits down, the enormous iris will be looming directly behind them — reinforcing the programme’s enduring idea that Big Brother is always watching.
The Diary Room is much more than a confessional space. It is where housemates speak privately to Big Brother, nominate fellow contestants and often reveal feelings, frustrations and strategies they have kept hidden from the rest of the house.
That means the new eye chair is likely to provide the backdrop to some of the biggest moments of the coming series — from the first nominations to arguments, tears, secrets and potentially game-changing conversations.
Kate Lawler returns 24 years later
There is another major change outside the house, where viewers are getting a completely new companion programme.
Big Brother: The Group Chat will air Sunday to Thursday immediately after Big Brother, continuing the conversation around the night’s biggest developments.
It will be hosted by podcaster and social media personality GK Barry, whose real name is Grace Keeling, alongside one of the programme’s most recognisable former housemates.
Kate Lawler is returning to the franchise 24 years after entering the house and becoming the first woman to win the UK series in 2002.
Lawler described the opportunity as an “exciting full-circle moment”.
She said:
“Big Brother has been a huge part of my life since I first stepped through those doors 24 years ago, so to now be returning in this role alongside the fantastic GK Barry feels like an exciting full-circle moment.
“I can’t wait to get stuck into all the conversations, twists and talking points with the fans, while bringing a little of my own first-hand experience to the mix.”
GK Barry said:
“I’ve been a massive Big Brother fan for years, so getting the chance to be part of the show in this way is genuinely a dream come true.
“And getting to do it alongside an iconic BB legend like Kate makes it even more exciting. I honestly can’t wait to start, have loads of fun with it and have a front-row seat to all the drama, surprises and big moments.”
What is Big Brother: The Group Chat?
The new programme will pick up the conversation immediately after events in the main show.
Kate and GK will dissect the biggest moments, personalities, relationships and alliances developing inside the house, while exclusive interviews with evicted housemates will form part of the programme.
Celebrity fans and special guests will also join them throughout the series.
Big Brother: The Group Chat will air Sunday to Thursday nights immediately after Big Brother on ITV2, ITVX and YouTube, with episodes also available across major podcast platforms.
A big weekend for Big Brother fans
The Big Brother brand has now generated more than 157 million streams on ITVX, and ITV is putting considerably more content around the format as its latest group of housemates prepares to move in.
For dedicated fans, however, this year’s Big Brother experience effectively begins a day early.
Saturday’s Bov Boys takeover will offer something UK viewers have never previously been able to watch: the final dry run inside the house before the real competition begins.
Then, at 9pm on Sunday 13 September, the rehearsal is over.
The doors will open, AJ Odudu and Will Best will introduce a new group of strangers to the nation — and with an enormous eye now staring back at them from the Diary Room, Big Brother will once again be watching.
• Watch on YouTube
• Watch on Twitch
