Big Brother returns to the Netherlands

Big Brother has been making a comeback in recent years

Dutch broadcaster RTL has recommissioned Endemol Shine Group’s hit reality format Big Brother for a new season, 14 years after it last aired in the Netherlands – the first country to broadcast the show.

Big Brother, which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary, debuted on RTL-owned channel Veronica back in 1999 before taking off for local adaptation all around the world. It stayed on air in the Netherlands until 2006, when it was axed by RTL.

The format’s return to the network marks the eighth comeback for Big Brother in the past year, having recently returned to Sweden, Portugal, Finland, Poland, Greece, Germany and Australia, which, along with countries such as the UK, had also cancelled the show in recent years.

Italy, Spain and the US, meanwhile, have continued airing Big Brother since it first launched in those countries in 2000.

In a joint statement, Endemol Shine Netherlands and RTL said: “We have never made it a secret that we want to bring Big Brother back to the Netherlands, the country where it all started. Big Brother is still the most successful format worldwide and, in the current context, more relevant than ever: we now live in a Big Brother society.

“There are more and more comebacks in other countries and soon also in the Netherlands. A few weeks ago we started production behind the scenes, and we are very much looking forward to bringing Big Brother back on television after 14 years together with RTL.”