Big Brother housemates’ big entrance REVEALED ahead of Sunday night launch
BIG Brother bosses wanted to bring the new contestants into the house on a speed boat, James Bond-style.
But it turns out that the “river” outside is actually a canal with a 5mph speed limit.
The original idea was that the housemates would climb up the bank and through a large neon eye before ascending the iconic steps into the building.
A TV insider said: “They ideally wanted it to be a bit like 007 racing down the Thames, until they realised it was a canal.
“So it’s a bit more Rosie & Jim and it is so sleepy the ducks often overtake the boats.
“They didn’t think bringing them in on barges would have quite the same impact.”
The Big Brother contestants will now arrive in the traditional glossy cars.
The creators of the new house had been keen to use the adjacent waterway because none of the previous houses had such a feature.
Another idea was that they could build an entrance on a pontoon – like the weather map that used to feature on This Morning when it was filmed in Liverpool – but that was deemed impractical.
Earlier this week producers revealed that the new house would be double height with skylights and a mezzanine allowing the residents to look down on one another.
It remains to be seen what the final interior will look like.
But fans are delighted that the hot tub – so often a source of controversy on previous shows – will be back.