Stephen Bear is reportedly already being considered to re-enter the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house next year, in a twist that will see popular former contestants returning to the show.
It was previously reported that an “all stars” series was being planned for next summer’s show, with reports now suggesting that a ‘Gold Stars vs. New Stars’ twist will pit former faces against new famous contestants.
An insider tells the Daily Star: “It’s a genius idea that has never been done before. Channel 5 wants to do a show that gives a nod to the past but also has a fresh edge with new people too.”
As well as reigning champion Bear, bosses are keen to rope in famous contestants who’ve been in the house in the past 15 years, with the Daily Star listing Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Katie Hopkins, Perez Hilton and Lee Ryan as possible candidates for the show.
Bosses are even thought to be considering past contestants from the Channel 4 years, with Pete Burns, Michael Barrymore, Les Dennis and even Shilpa Shetty on producers’ wishlists.
When reports first emerged about a potential “all stars” series, past winners Denise Welch and Charlotte Crosby were also named as possible contestants.
‘Gold Stars vs. New Stars’ wouldn’t be the first time that the celebrity participants had been pitted against each other as the theme for the series, with Channel 5 previously enjoying success with their ‘UK vs. USA’ series last year.
The civilian ‘Big Brother’ series that aired earlier this year also saw a group of ‘Others’ enter the Borehamwood bungalow, alongside the regular crop of housemates.