New series of Big Brother will be the last, says Channel 5

The new series of Big Brother will be the last to air on Channel 5, it has been confirmed.

Celebrity Big Brother will also be discontinued after another series packed with controversy.

The seminal reality show first aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010, and was relaunched by Channel 5 the following year.

Ahead of the live launch of the new series on Friday evening, Channel 5 announced it will be the final one.

The channel tweeted the announcement saying: “It’s time for this game to end.”

The show suffered falling ratings compared with reality TV competition, such as the wildly popular Love Island on ITV2.

The final of the first series of Big Brother on Channel 4 attracted a TV audience of 9.45 million.

The final of the most recent series, broadcast by Channel 5 last year, was watched by just 1.11 million.

Channel 5 said in a statement: “The forthcoming series of Big Brother will be the last – of either celebrity or civilian versions – on Channel 5. We’d like to thank Endemol and all of the production team who have worked tirelessly to make the show a success.

“We’d also like to thank our brilliant presenters – Emma (Willis) on Big Brother and Rylan (Clark-Neal) from Bit On The Side – for their consummate professionalism, Marcus (Bentley), the voice of Big Brother and all of the housemates who have created so many memorable moments.

“Most importantly, we’d like to thank fans of the show for their support over the last seven years. We look forward to giving the final series a brilliant send-off.”

Ben Frow, director of programming at Channel 5, told the Edinburgh TV Festival in August: “I plan for a year without Big Brother.

“I never say never because the world is constantly changing, and I think it would be irresponsible to not keep all options open, but at the moment I’m planning for a year without Big Brother.”