Kate Lawler and GK Barry to host brand-new side show Big Brother: The Group Chat

Big Brother is getting a brand-new companion show this autumn, with Kate Lawler and GK Barry announced as the hosts of Big Brother: The Group Chat.

The new show will air Sunday to Thursday nights immediately after Big Brother on ITV2 and ITVX, with episodes also available on YouTube and across major podcast platforms.

Produced by Initial, Big Brother: The Group Chat promises to give fans even more opportunity to dissect the drama inside the famous house, with Kate and GK joined by celebrity guests, special guests and evicted Housemates.

The pair will discuss the biggest moments from each episode, offering their opinions on the latest twists, relationships, alliances, arguments and surprises as the series unfolds.

Kate Lawler is returning to the Big Brother world more than two decades after she first entered the house. She went on to win the third series in 2002, making her a particularly fitting choice to offer an insider’s perspective on the experience.

“Big Brother has been a huge part of my life since I first stepped through those doors 24 years ago,” Kate said. “To now be returning in this role alongside the fantastic GK Barry feels like an exciting full-circle moment.”

She added that she was looking forward to getting stuck into the conversations, twists and talking points “with the fans”, while bringing her own first-hand experience to the show.

GK Barry is equally excited about joining the franchise, describing the opportunity as “genuinely a dream come true”.

The announcement was made exclusively on GK Barry’s Saving Grace podcast, with the new presenter saying she cannot wait to have “a front-row seat” to the drama and big moments.

The new companion show comes as Big Brother returns to ITV2 and ITVX for its biggest series yet, with the run extended to eight weeks.

ITV is promising a new group of strangers, an entirely reimagined house and a series packed with unexpected twists and game-changing moments.

Viewers can also expect ambitious tasks, high-stakes nominations and dramatic live evictions as the Housemates compete for the life-changing cash prize.

However, fans hoping for a return of the late-night live stream have also received confirmation that there will be no live stream this series.

Instead, ITV is expanding its post-show offering with Big Brother: The Group Chat, giving viewers somewhere to continue the conversation once the nightly highlights have finished.

With a Big Brother winner and one of the UK’s biggest podcasters at the helm, the new show looks set to become a major part of ITV’s coverage of the 2026 series.

Big Brother: The Group Chat launches this autumn on ITV2, ITVX and YouTube, airing Sunday to Thursday nights straight after Big Brother.