The show is based on an originally Dutch TV series of the same name created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997.

On 17 March 2023, a special twenty-second anniversary show aired as part of the 2023 Comic Relief event.

It featured interviews with five of the six housemates (Chris Eubank did not participate) with a look back on the series and their time in the house.

Due to the tie-in with Comic Relief, the first series was partly broadcast on BBC One in the week leading up to the telethon.

BBC One's coverage consisted of a behind-the-scenes launch show hosted by McCall[5] and 10-minute-long updates each day.

The series ended on 16 March (Red Nose Day) and the finale was broadcast live on both Channel 4 and BBC One as part of the evening's Comic Relief telethon.

Celebrity Big Brother 1, much like the main series, did not feature luxury competitions or prizes throughout the season.

Unlike other editions of the show, Big Brother 1 did not feature a swimming pool or hot tub for the housemates to use.

Big Brother is a game show in which a group of contestants, called housemates, live in isolation from the outside world in a custom built "house", which includes everyday facilities such as a fully equipped kitchen, garden, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

The only place where housemates can escape the company of the other contestants is the Diary Room, where they are encouraged to voice their true feelings.

They are also put to the test by their own ideals, prejudices and opinions against other people from different walks of life; something that has survived from the original "social experiment" of Big Brother 1.

They live in the communal House and share cooking and cleaning chores among themselves, which usually provides plenty of tension.

If all food runs out in the House, Big Brother provides emergency rations of chickpeas and rice.