ITV's upcoming revival of Big Brother was reportedly dealt a blow earlier this year when the chosen production location became unavailable.
The iconic reality show is making a comeback to British screens for a new six-week run on ITV2 and ITVX later this year, some five years after it was axed by Channel 5.
The series had originally been due for broadcast this spring, leading in to the summer edition of Love Island, but ITV has since shunted it back to the final quarter of the year, meaning that it is now likely to begin in October.
According to The Sun, the decision has meant that producers' original choice of location for the new BB house has now become unavailable, forcing them to scout out an entirely new venue for the production.
"Production thought they had found the perfect location to shoot the new series in, but the show being pushed back by so many months meant the place they wanted was no longer available at that time," a source told the newspaper.
"It's been a real blow as bosses have had to go back to the drawing board, and it's another headache for the show as the delay already messed with crew availability and annoyed some production staff who had their contracts paused or cancelled."
The insider continued: "The good news is the team have now found a new location and are very close to finalising it. There shouldn't be any more delays now and they are really happy with the place they have found.
"They know there is a lot riding on this reboot and they want to get it perfect - they're confident it will be worth the wait and viewers will love the new Big Brother house when they see it."
Contestant applications for the new series remain open until the end of June.
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