Big Brother has announced a major change to its voting format for the upcoming series, marking the first time in the show's 25-year history that viewers will vote to save housemates rather than to evict them. The twist was revealed by co-host Will Best on the companion show Big Brother: Late and Live.
Will Best stated: 'You may have heard this series the game is changing. Ahead of the first live eviction of the series, I can now exclusively reveal that in a break from long-standing Big Brother tradition that you the viewers will not be voting to evict. You will be voting to save. The fans asked for it - we have delivered. Big Brother was listening.'
The vote-to-save format has been used previously in celebrity editions and occasional series, but this is the first time it will be applied to every live eviction in a regular series. The change has been met with mixed reactions on social media, with some fans praising ITV for listening to audience feedback, while others expressed scepticism about the impact on the game.
In the same episode, housemate Richard, aged 60, shared an emotional story about adopting a 33-year-old refugee from Myanmar as his son. Richard explained that the friendship developed during his work in Malaysia, and the adoption came after the refugee asked if this was what it felt like to have a father.
