New Big Brother spin-off, Celebrity Hijack will launch on Thursday, January 3, it has been confirmed. The show will be fronted by Dermot O’Leary and the live launch programme will introduce the housemates to the nation. The new batch are different from previous contestants as they’re all “gifted” young individuals. To be honest, I’ve got no idea what that means. The 90-minute show, showing on both E4 and Channel 4, will also introduce the first celebrity hijacker. The celebrity hijackers will become Big Brother for a short period, setting tasks, giving instructions in the diary room and otherwise causing mischief for the housemates.

After launch, Celebrity Hijack (or BBCH as it will invariably be redubbed) will settle into a daily 9pm slot on E4. As is tradition, live coverage from the house will air through the night on the channel, while Dermot will front his last ever series of BBLB weeknights at 7.30pm. The celebrities (not yet revealed) are going to team up with Big Brother to set House tasks, talk to the housemates in the Diary Room and get up to lots of “cheeky mischief”. To me, this feels like it’s make-or-break for the Big Brother format.

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