Based on the original
Dutch version created by
John de Mol Jr., the show sees several different housemates, divided by gender, social backgrounds and geographical locations locked up together in a house, where the viewing public can watch them twenty-four hours a day, and vote them out of the house as they choose to. The housemates live in isolation from the outside world in a house custom built with everyday objects, like home appliances and a garden. The house also includes cameras and microphones in most of the rooms recording all of the activities on the premises. The only place where housemates can be away from the other contestants is in the confession room, where they can express their true feelings. The winner is the last contestant remaining in the house and receives a cash prize. Housemates are evicted weekly throughout the show by the viewing public. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1948 novel
1984, a dystopia in which
Big Brother is the all-seeing, omnipotent leader of Oceania. The galas (eviction & nomination show) broadcast on Thursdays, presented by
Mercedes Milá from 2000 to 2001 and 2002 to 2015.
Jorge Javier Vázquez replaced Mercedes Milá from 2016. The weekly debate show is presented by
Jordi González on Sundays and the highlights show from the previous day being shown daily. Límte 48 horas on Tuesdays and Última Hora is presented by Jordi González on the set and
Lara Álvarez from the editorial office on Mondays. Following the success of the format, Telecinco developed different versions of the format. In 2004, aired, is the version with celebrity housemates, which have aired seven seasons. In 2010, premiered, which aired two seasons, the first season is with pairs of housemates who entered the house again to sort out unfinished matters, and the second season is with contestants from different reality shows of
Telecinco. In 2019, aired, it's a variant of the celebrity format which the housemates entered the house with a current or former relationship and coupled-up. == Series details ==