Celebrity Big Brother WILL return in March – with £2m bumper budget for stars as daytime TV legend tops wanted list
CELEBRITY Big Brother is returning next year after a six-year break — with a raft of controversial stars in the frame to appear.
ITV bosses are willing to splash out £2million to secure Phillip Schofield and Boris Johnson’s alleged mistress Jennifer Arcuri among others.
A source said: “Celebrity Big Brother is coming back and ITV want massive names to kick it off.
“CBB is the perfect place for stars who are riding off the wave of a scandal, or something big happening in their lives.
“Phillip Schofield is someone they’re going to approach, as well as people like Jennifer Arcuri, who had an alleged fling with Boris.
“They have a lot of cash to splash, just under £2million.
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“The bumper budget should allow for at least one or maybe two big names to set the series alight.”
Schofield, 61, stepped down from ITV’s This Morning show earlier this year after admitting having an affair with a young staffer.
US businesswoman Arcuri, 38, claims she had an affair with former PM Mr Johnson while he was the mayor of London.
ITV chose to reboot the celebrity version thanks to bumper ratings for the current series.
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The launch show was watched by 3.6million people either live or on catch-up, figures show.
It is the highest audience since the reality show first aired on Channel 4 in 2001.
The source added: “ITV wanted to see if the audience was there for their reboot of the show and the figures have been brilliant.
“The decision to bring back the stars has been given the green light and they’re now casting for talent. The staff are hammering the phones.
“The more controversial the line-up the better. They want it to really come back with a bang.
Celebrity Big Brother previously aired on Channel 4 and Channel 5 until it was axed in 2018.
Former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas won the final series, which was mired in controversy after a nasty row between him and Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett.
Big Brother’s relaunch was screened on ITV1, with the reality show then switching to ITV2 for the remainder of its run.
Hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best have proved popular with fans and are expected to front the celebrity version when it airs from March.
