Network’s bombshell Big Brother announcement

Fans of the original early-noughties iteration of Big Brother Australia, please come to the diary room for an announcement.

Iconic reality show Big Brother will return to its original home of the Ten Network in 2025, 17 years after it last aired on the network.

The surprise announcement was made as part of Ten’s Upfronts event today, which also saw a brand-new weekly TV hosting gig announced for recent Logies host Sam Pang next year.

Big Brother premiered to massive ratings on Ten way back in 2001, and ran for eight seasons before finishing in 2008.

The Nine network resurrected the show four years later, where it ran for three seasons. In 2020, Big Brother moved to Seven, where it lasted for five seasons before it was cancelled due to dwindling ratings after last year.

Mel Tracina is Big Brother's new host.

Gretel Killeen was the show’s original host. Picture: AAP

Now, the show’s set to return home to Ten in late 2025, with a brand new host: Mel Tracina, best-known as the entertainment correspondent on Ten’s The Cheap Seats and Nova Radio’s workday announcer.

Time will tell if a return to its original TV network will breathe new life into the reality show, but allow us to make one suggestion that should go some way to ensuring its success: Bring back Big Brother: Uncut!

Pang’s new project

Usually an acerbic panellist, in 2025 Pang will host his own show. Picture: James Gourley/Getty

Fresh from his second Logies hosting gig, Sam Pang is currently developing his own weekly show to premiere on Ten next year. Details are scarce now, but Paramount Australia’s SVP Content and Programming Daniel Monaghan says the network is “delighted” to have commissioned Pang with his own show.

“Sam’s quick wit has kept Aussies laughing for years, and we know his fresh new program will give audiences exactly what they want,” he said in a statement.

Brand new murder mystery

A new six-part series called Playing Gracie Darling will premiere on Paramount+ next year.

Created and written by Miranda Nation (Undertow) and directed by Jonathan Brough

(Rosehaven, The End), the story focuses on Joni, whose best friend Grace Darling disappeared during seance when they were teenagers and hasn’t been seen since. 27 years on, Joni – now a child psychologist – returns to the town where Gracie disappeared to finally figure out what happened.

What’s coming back – and what’s not

There’ll be new seasons of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here, while Survivor fans are in for a treat with two seasons of the show airing next year – the first, Australian Survivor: Brains vs Brawn II, in February. Later in the year, returning players including George, Shonee and Kirby will face off with players from around the world in Survivor: Australia v The World.

Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition is back, as are MasterChef and Dessert Masters. But after three seasons on Ten, it looks like Hunted is no more: The cat-and-mouse fugitive competition didn’t score a mention in today’s Upfronts.