Kate Lawler has hit back at criticism after the Big Brother reboot was branded ‘woke’.
The series has a long history of championing all aspects of society and bringing together people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds in a social experiment.
This year’s lineup is one of the most diverse, with housemates including a dancing doctor, Miss Universe, an amputee DJ and a Muslim make-up artist.
But watching X, formerly known as Twitter, viewers were left divided on Sunday with some claiming the show was ‘ticking the boxes’ with its choice of contestants.
Speaking on Monday’s This Morning show, season three winner Kate Lawler revealed: ‘I absolutely loved last night’s show. ITV has got its hands on the top reality show. Big brother OG. I watched it with a smile on my face.’
Likes: Kate Lawler hits back at criticism after Big Brother reboot branded ‘woke’ as she praises the diversity shown on the show
Meet the Housemates: This year’s lineup includes a dancing doctor, Miss Universe, an amputee DJ and a Muslim makeup artist (LR Paul, Tom, Jenkin, Matthew, Zak, Hallie, Noki, Farida, Dylan, Olivia, Trish, Jordan, Jinrun, Chanel , Henry and Carrie)
Kate continued: “Celebrating the length of the country. These are the most diverse housemates so far. Gay, straight, woman with MS, man who lost his foot.’
“I think it’s going to be really great viewing.” I was very funny. These are mostly young housemates, but he is my favorite so far.’
She went on to praise the decision to pre-record the launch show, explaining: “Gone are the three-hour launch nights, which I think makes for better viewing.
“We have a shorter attention span now.” It was fast, it was sharp.’
Praising the new hosts, she continued: “What a great duo AJ (Odudu) and Will (Best) are – 10 out of 10! That suit was trending on X. She looked phenomenal.
“I think we are in for a fantastic series.” Series 20 will not disappoint.’
Kate won the third series of Big Brother in 2002 and has previously revealed she wants to host the reboot.
Her series was the most-watched, with an average audience of 5.3 million and a peak of 10 million viewers and a 51 per cent share following Kate to win the show.
By comparison, the reboot drew 2.6 million viewers on its channels on Sunday night.
Iconic: Kate won the third series of Big Brother in 2002 and has previously revealed she wants to host the reboot
The pre-recorded show was simulcast on ITVX and ITV2, with the program dominating the 9pm slot and becoming the most streamed episode across ITVX.
It eclipsed the launch of the last civilian version of the show in 2018 – which drew just 0.9 million – and marked its biggest audience in a decade.
However, it couldn’t compete with the most watched show of the day, with the opening show of Strictly Come Dancing attracting 6.6 million viewers on BBC One earlier in the evening.
It also failed to make a mark on Big Brother Channel 4, where the show aired from 2000 to 2010.
BIG BROTHER 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS!
JENKIN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Bartender
FROM THE: Bridgend
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU? ‘Loud and messy and probably irritating.’
TOM
AGE: 21
PROFESSION: butcher
FROM THE: Somerset
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? “I think I could potentially offend some people.” My mouth moves faster than my brain.’
TRISH
AGE: 33
PROFESSION: Mum
FROM THE: Luton
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? “I think my first priority is to sort out my housing situation.” The housing crisis is ridiculous and my housing situation is unstable. It brings me a lot of mother guilt because I have a small child. That is my biggest incentive and motivation to win.’
JORDAN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: A lawyer
FROM THE: Scunthorpe
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? “Being argumentative and acting like I don’t want to be there, even if in my heart I do.” They could nominate me for maybe being inactive or not giving everyone equal attention. They may feel left out, but I can’t help it.’
DYLAN
AGE: 39
PROFESSION: DJ
FROM THE: Coventry
TELL US INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF: ‘I appeared on a TV show called The Last Leg about amputees – two years before I lost my leg!’
NOKIE
AGE: 26
PROFESSION: banker
FROM THE: Derby
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BECOME A BIG BROTHER HOUSEWIFE? ‘I love challenges. I have had so many amazing moments in my life, like going to Miss Universe as Miss Great Britain. I like doing something different and I think this is the next challenge I want to conquer. I want to show people what pageant girls are really like and disprove many stereotypes surrounding them. I also show what it’s like to be a woman who has worked in male-dominated fields. I want to show that women are capable of doing anything they want.’
PAUL
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Security officer
FROM THE: Liverpool
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being the biggest fan, eating all the food and being the loudest housemate.’
OLIVIA
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Dancer
FROM THE: Glasgow
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? “I think when people are in that hungry state, that’s when I’ll cheer people on and grind their gear.” I think they will nominate me because of my willpower, because of my brutal honesty and exaggeration of opinion.’
FARIDA
AGE: 50
PROFESSION: Makeup artist
FROM THE: Wolverhampton
TELL US INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF: “People are always surprised when I say that I got married at the age of 43. Or also that I am a former vacation representative for Gran Canaria and Menorca.”
Haille
AGE: 18
PROFESSION: Youth worker
FROM THE: London
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? “Being lazy and having an opinion.” I’m quite opinionated, I like to speak my mind and few people like that. I am quite real.’
IINRUN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Customer Service Agent
FROM THE: Harrogate
WHAT PART OF THE EXPERIENCE ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? “I’m most excited to be surrounded by so many people from different walks of life.” I don’t think I’ll ever live in a house with so many different people again. I’m from China and I think it will help me to be more immersed in British culture.’
CHANEL
AGE: 29
PROFESSION: Dental Therapist
FROM THE: Llanelli
WHAT ARE YOU MOST NOMINATED FOR? “Probably just because I’m boring. In Wales we have this saying “I’ll do it in a minute now”. So if I went to make food and left a dish on the side, I have every good intention of washing it, but I’d say, ‘I’ll do it now in a minute,’ and it might be three hours later before I do it. Well, probably for such nonsense.’
ZAK
AGE: 28
PROFESSION: Model
FROM THE: Manchester
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? “Pay off my debts and help my family.” I’ve also been saving up to build a park in my village back home in Thailand because there are no parks or playgrounds where I grew up.’
MATTHEW
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Doctor
FROM THE: Isle Of Man
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? “They would say I’m a pretty happy person or someone who really wants to experience life to the fullest and do everything it has to offer.” Someone who is kind and funny and doesn’t take life too seriously.’
HENRY
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Food Writer
FROM THE: Cotswolds
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? “I think they would say I’m particularly outgoing and very chatty.” I mean, to be honest, my parents would definitely say I’m a bit of a snob, but I take that as a compliment. I think it means you have high standards and good taste. They would say I’m quite an unusual child.’
KERRY
AGE: 40
PROFESSION: NHS Manager
FROM THE: Essex
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BE A BIG BROTHER HOUSEWIFE? ‘I like the program. To me, it’s the ultimate reality TV show ever. I have multiple sclerosis and the reason I never applied before is because I always saw those great big stairs to get into the house. It was a bit unachievable because I was in a wheelchair for the first three years of my illness. When I saw that he was coming back and looking for the right people from all walks of life, I thought, this is my year.’
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