The new season of Big Brother has launched, this time on ITV after its Channel 4 debut in the 2000s.
A fresh batch of contestants have already been introduced and the live feed will officially return, and though the series has a reputation for being quite the vehicle for chaos, things might be a little different this time around.
Not only does the reality feature a shiny new house and brand new hosts, but there also some updated rules the housemates will have to abide by to adhere to ITV’s recently introduced Duty of Care.
Already the contestants have taken part in training before entering the house, covering a range of things to ensure their journey on the series goes smoothly.
So, what rules will the Big Brother housemates need to follow? Read on for ITV’s Duty of Care protocols for the Big Brother 2023 contestants and how they will be helped before, during and after the show.
Big Brother 2023 rules
Social media blackout
Similarly to Love Island, Big Brother housemates will have to leave their social media accounts dormant.
In the Duty of Care statement, ITV said: “Housemates and their family and friends will be asked not to post any content on their individual social accounts for the duration of their time in the House. A ‘Social Media Blackout’.”
ITV first introduced the blackout ahead of the Love Island’s winter series in 2023.
The housemates will undergo a series of background checks, which includes a study of their social media by an independent specialised service.
Respect and inclusion training
The new Big Brother housemates will received respect and inclusion training and an “extensive briefing” from the Big Brother Senior team to “prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectation for appropriate behaviour and language”.
Housemates will also be provided with and talked through the Housemate rules, which set out expectations and explain key aspects of life in the Big Brother House.
While in the House
As the contestants get used to life in the Big Brother House, mental health professionals will be available to them for ongoing support throughout their time on the show.
The welfare of the housemates will be monitored 24 hours a day, and daily meetings take place to discuss welfare matters and responded to appropriately where required.
After leaving the Big Brother House
Once the show is over and the housemates are back to their day-to-day lives, they will undergo “bespoke training” on how to deal with social media and press.
They will also undergo a mandatory session with ITV’s mental health professional immediately after a housemate leaves.
Code of Conduct and Bullying and Harassment, Grievance and Whistleblowing Policies
Banijay UK, the production company behind Big Brother, has clear bullying and harassment, grievance and whistleblowing policies, and information about these is “shared at an in-person briefing and copies are provided to everyone involved in the making of Big Brother.”
Head of welfare for Banijay UK Kym Langer said: “The welfare of everyone involved in the making of Big Brother is of paramount importance to us, and the welfare protocols for Housemates delivers robust assessment of suitability to participate, informed consent and support throughout the casting and filming process and beyond.
“The protocols in place for the 2023 series have been carefully considered, bringing together the experience of ITV’s compliance and duty of care team together with the independent mental health professionals we have engaged and our own in-house production, editorial, casting and support teams.”
Dr Paul Litchfield, a chief medical officer who independently reviews ITV’s duty of care protocols, said: “The measures applied to safeguard the mental health of contributors to reality TV shows have evolved considerably over the past five years.
“ITV has worked with the team at Banijay to share expertise and to ensure that current best practice is applied for the 2023 series of Big Brother.”
Original Big Brother rule book
When Big Brother aired on Channel 4 and Channel 5, there was a “rule book” housemates had to abide by while in the House, which was largely to do with nominations. While this may be different during the ITV series, it’s likely there will be similar rules behind the nominates.
- Each housemate must nominate two people for eviction in the diary room each week, and the two people with the most nominations will be put up for an eviction vote by the public.
- Housemates must give frank and honest reasons for their nominations and cannot give reasons for nominating that are not their actual reasons.
- Housemates are strictly forbidden to discuss anything related to nominations with each other.