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Louise Thomas
Editor
Big Brother viewers have taken issue with the crop of housemates selected for this year’s instalment of the reality show.
During the live launch on 6 October, the show’s hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu introduced a new group of 16 housemates in front of a studio audience.
However, fans were quick to complain that the housemates seemed like they had been auditioned from a “university dorm” since the majority of the cast are in their twenties.
One viewer joked online that ITV accidentally “approved a list of Love Island applicants as Big Brother contestants”, referring to the channel’s popular reality dating show that features contestants between 20 and 30.
Another person asked: “Where are the older housemates?! Where are the people of different classes?”
The oldest housemate is 53-year-old aesthetics business owner Emma, who is the only person on the series over the age of 40. The second oldest housemate is 38-year-old forensic psychologist Ali, followed by Dean, a 35-year-old barber.
Another person added: “This cast are giving All Bar One on a Saturday night.”
Last year’s contestant Henry Southan wrote on X/Twitter. “More oldies please,” as another added, “Only ONE housemate over the age of 40.”
Another said: “It needs more older people. Like Farida and Kerry from last year. It needs more diversity too and age gaps.”
Last year’s cast included 50-year-old makeup artist Farida, 40-year-old NHS manager Kerry, 39-year-old DJ Dylan.
One viewer added: “Launch night is always hard to make a judgement call but the lack of ages does make me think this series will pale compared to last year. There’s only four above the age of 30.”
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Aside from 53-year-old Emma, other contestants include a 24-year-old climate activist, a 23-year-old sales manager and a 26-year-old NHS administrator.
The youngest housemate is 20-year-old Lily, a Chinese takeaway server from Warrington. Lily said that if she wins, she wants to spend the prize money on “a party holiday to Ibiza with a private jet”. She said: “I just want to rinse it all because I wouldn’t have it anyway.”
Joining Lily is 23-year-old Nathan who is a pork salesman from Dumfries, and he used to be Prince (and now King) Charles’s butler. Read more about this year’s housemates here.
The 2024 cast will be hoping to replicate the success of Jordan, the 26-year-old lawyer who walked away with the £100,000 cash prize in 2023.
Jordan, from Scunthorpe, was popular with fans for his deadpan humour and sarcastic comments. When he won, he simply declared: “I need a drink.”
The show initially made a comeback to screens for a reboot in 2023, having previously been cancelled by Channel 4 in 2010 and Channel 5 in 2018.
