GK Barry is joining Big Brother: The Group Chat as co-host alongside Kate Lawler, giving the franchise a new post-show platform after the main programme. The spin-off will run after Big Brother on ITV2, ITVX and YouTube from Sunday to Thursday nights.
Lawler won the third series of Big Brother in 2002 and became the first female winner. She said the return feels like an exciting full-circle moment, while Barry called the chance to join the show a dream come true.
Kate Lawler's full-circle return
Kate Lawler said, "Big Brother has been a huge part of my life since I first stepped through those doors 24 years ago, so to now be returning in this role alongside the fantastic GK Barry feels like an exciting full-circle moment," and added that she cannot wait to get stuck into the conversations, twists and talking points with the fans. Her return gives the spin-off a host with direct experience of the game, not just commentary from the sidelines.
She also appeared on the third season of Big Brother alongside Alison Hammond, Jade Goody and Adele Roberts, and has since worked as a TV presenter and radio host on This Morning, Capital FM, Virgin Radio and more. That mix gives the new show a built-in bridge between the current series and the format’s earlier era.
GK Barry on the new role
GK Barry said, "I’ve been a massive Big Brother fan for years, so getting the chance to be part of the show in this way is genuinely a dream come true," and added that doing it alongside Lawler makes it even more exciting. She said she cannot wait to start, have loads of fun with it and have a front-row seat to the drama, surprises and big moments.
ITV said the pair will dissect the drama, celebrate the stand-out scenes and weigh in on the decisions and surprises shaping the game, with exclusive interviews with evicted Housemates, celebrity fans and special guests folded into the format. That turns the companion show into more than a recap: it is designed as the franchise’s nightly pressure valve, pulling fresh reaction into the conversation across three platforms.
Big Brother this autumn
The new Big Brother series is the fourth of the relaunched era on ITV2 and will last eight weeks, but no premiere date has been announced. Big Brother will return to ITV2 and ITVX this autumn, so the companion show arrives before viewers know the exact launch night.
For viewers, the practical change is simple: Sunday to Thursday will now include an extra layer of coverage after the main show, with Barry and Lawler carrying the discussion across ITV2, ITVX and YouTube. The open question is when the new series starts, and that date will set the pace for everything that follows.
