Maura Higgins is allegedly the frontrunner to present ITV’s Big Brother reboot next year.
The former Love Islander, 31, is reportedly the producers’ top choice due to her resumé of TV gigs on Glow Up Ireland and Dancing On Ice.
A source told The Sun: ‘Producers are determined to distance themselves from former Big Brother names but the former favourite, Mo Gilligan, is now busy in the States.
Wow! Maura Higgins is the ‘frontrunner to present ITV’s Big Brother reboot – with producers determined to distance the show from its former cast’
‘Now bosses are looking at female stars who have the strength to hold the show together, while also the warmth to gently quiz contestants in the way that Davina McCall and Emma Willis did so well.
‘Maura is a homegrown ITV talent who has all that – plus of course looks great on screen.’
MailOnline has contacted Maura’s representatives and ITV for comment.
Throwback: A source said: ‘Now bosses are looking at female stars who have the strength to hold the show together, while also the warmth to gently quiz contestants in the way that Davina McCall (pictured in 2002) and Emma Willis did so well’
It’s BACK! They added: ‘Producers are determined to distance themselves from former Big Brother names but the former favourite, Mo Gilligan, is now busy in the States’
It was announced during last month’s Love Island final that Big Brother would be revived by ITV after a five year hiatus.
But according to The Mirror TV bosses promise that the reboot will feature everything viewers loved about the original series and ‘won’t be like Love Island’.
A source told the publication: ‘There will be a diverse casting across a range of ages, which is what made so special. It won’t be like Love Island, where the contestants are all young social media influencer types – they want ‘all walks of life
‘They won’t be social media influencers’: ITV bosses promise Big Brother will be ‘nothing like Love Island’ and will stay true to its roots (Jade Goody pictured on the show in 2002)
They went on to say: ‘There will absolutely be no outside influence – just like in the original series – so they won’t get a day off every week like they do in the villa’.
‘It will have everything viewers came to love about the retro series, with nominations, a public vote and live evictions, but they want it to appeal to a new generation’.
MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.
The show started as a social experiment in 2000 – going on to become a firm fixture of popular culture.
Back for more: The show will return and will feature contestants from ‘all walks of life’ but won’t be live ITV’s hit reality show Love Island (2022 contestant Tasha Ghouri pictured)
All stars: The show started as a social experiment in 2000 and went on to become a firm fixture of popular culture (series one winner Craig Phillips seen with Davina McCall in 2000)
Ordinary members of the public entered the iconic house, skyrocketing to fame as they were watched 24/7 by the British public. while a celebrity version of the show with famous housemates also ran from 2000.
The experiment captured the hearts of millions, who could even tune in to the 24h live feed during the night.
It first aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010 and was hosted by Davina McCall, 54, before it moved to Channel 5 until 2018 where it was presented by series two winner Brian Dowling, 43, and later Emma Willis, 46.
Hosting duties: Alison Hammond, who rose to fame on the show in 2002, could now be the one to welcome housemates as she is the frontrunner to host the reboot
And now it’s been reported that This Morning’s Alison Hammond is ‘favourite’ to host the upcoming reboot.
Alison, who was voted out after 15 days in season three, starred alongside Jade Goody, Adele Roberts, Sophie Pritchard and Spencer Smith, and was only 27 when she appeared.
The mother-of-one has tough competition as Rylan Clark and Mo Gilligan are also in the running to host the show.
Fame: Alison, who was voted out after 15 days in season three, starred alongside Jade Goody, Adele Roberts, Sophie Pritchard and Spencer Smith, and was only 27 when she appeared
24/7: The experiment captured the hearts of millions, who could even tune in to the 24h live feed during the night
Back in April, a source told The Sun: ‘It needs the full treatment and they’re confident they are the ones who can return it to its legendary former glory. It has millions of fans and is one of the most iconic TV shows of its generation.’
The show featured some iconic moments air over the years, with a staggering 3.5million people voting for Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips from Seaforth, Merseyside to win the £70,000 prize in 2000 at the end of the first series.
It averaged at 5.8million viewers an episode by its third season – but figures dropped to just 2.9million an episode in 2009 thanks to competitions inspired by the very shows it spawned, such as The Only Way Is Essex.
Entertainers: Makosi Musambasi shared a controversial moment in the swimming pool with Anthony Hutton during her series in 2005
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