Big Brother 2023 cast UK: meet the contestants of Big Brother UK - including Hallie and Olivia

Big Brother 2023 is back, the 16 contestants have entered the Big Brother house and the games have already begun. Describing this year's set of contestants as the "most inclusive yet", hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best introduced viewers to this year's batch of housemates.

The ITV reboot will see nightly episodes (except from Saturday) air on ITV2 at 9 pm, with Big Brother: Late & Live following at 10 pm and bringing us celebrity guests and the exclusive eviction interviews. The live stream has also returned, with fans being able to keep an eye on the housemates around the clock on ITVX.

For the next six weeks our Big Brother cast will work hard to be the last one standing. With £100,000 on the cards, the pressure is on and the games have already started. Jenkin, the first contestant to enter the Big Brother house, ultimately drew the short straw. In just one evening he lost hot water, has to make breakfast in bed for someone, had his suitcase blown up and unwittingly put Olivia forward for the public eviction on Friday.

The stakes are already building, so who are the Big Brother contestants this year? Here's everything you need to know.

Big Brother 2023: Meet the cast

All 16 contestants have officially entered the Big Brother house, here's everything you need to know.

Dylan

Age: 39

From: Coventry

Job: DJ

The 39-year-old DJ from Coventry was in a car accident in 2014 and decided to have his leg amputated after three years of pain. Dylan has appeared on a TV show called The Last Leg about amputees two years before he lost his leg, and showed off his freestyling skills with hosts Odudu and Best before entering the Big Brother house.

Farida

Age: 50

From: Wolverhampton

Job: Make-up artist

Make-up artist, Farida, 50, from Wolverhampton, said she wanted to join the Big Brother house because Asian culture and Asian women are “underrepresented on TV”.

Farida explained: “A lot of people think that wearing a headscarf might stop you from having opportunities, whereas for me, it’s been completely the opposite. I embrace it with confidence and it’s actually given me lots of opportunities. I want to let people know that us Muslims, we really aren’t suppressed. I’m far from suppressed – I used to be a holiday rep.”

Zak

Age: 28

From: Manchester

Job: Model

The 28-year-old model from Manchester, who describes himself as “cheeky”, grew up in Thailand before moving to the UK at the age of 10. He said there are often misconceptions of arrogance if you are a model, but he is a “down to earth guy” and a “council estate boy”.

Henry

Age: 25

From: Cotswolds

Job: Food writer

The food writer, 25, from the Cotswolds, said he is looking to learn life skills such as cooking, cleaning and washing on the show – having grown up at a boarding school with a “beloved matron”.

A Conservative voter, he revealed the person he would most like to go for a martini with is Boris Johnson. He added: “I’m definitely a royalist, I think people who don’t like the royal family should just leave the country to be honest.”

Chanelle

Age: 29

From: Llanelli, Wales

Job: Dental therapist

The dental therapist from Llanelli in Wales described herself as “bubbly, quite resilient and humble” as well as being book smart – but with no common sense.

The 29-year-old said she applied for the show as a joke, but wants to make “friends for life”.

Hallie

Age: 18

From: London

Job: Youth worker

Hallie is the youngest ever Big Brother contestant at just 18-years-old. The youth worker from London described herself as a “bit of a diva” and most likely to get nominated for being “quite opinionated”. She also revealed this is her first time living away from home.

Jenkin

Age: 25

From: Bridgend, Wales

Job: Barman and bingo caller

The 25-year-old from Bridgend in Wales described himself as a barman, cleaner and bingo caller. He said he “can’t keep secrets” and will “bring the drama” to the Big Brother house, which so far he has already succeeded in doing.

Jordan

Age: 25

From: Scunthorpe

Job: Lawyer

Jordan applied for Big Brother on a whim and is interested in the social experiment side of the programme. He said: “I have a face like a chastised backside hence I wear such wonderful shirts to make up for it.”

Matty

Age: 24

From: Isle of Wight

Job: Doctor

The 24-year-old doctor currently works in the geriatric department and loves "old people". He grew up in a small area in the Isle of Man and saw characters he could relate to on Big Brother which is why he applied for the show.

He said: "I want to experience everything before I die, and I just thought why not do something mad like this? I used to watch Big Brother when I was like, 9 or 10 past my bedtime with my mom. I grew up in such a small place on the Isle of Man where I didn't really see many people who felt like me. I remember watching Big Brother and I could see myself in all these characters from a cross section of society, and I thought like, oh, maybe I would fit in there. So I just always wanted to apply."

Noky

Age: 26

From: Derby

Job: Banker/Miss Universe Great Britain 2022

Noky is a 26-year-old banker and Miss Universe Great Britain 2022 winner from Derby. She said she wanted to disprove stereotypes around “pageant girls” and also wants to show what it is like being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

She said: "I love challenges. I've had so many amazing times in my life, like going to Miss Universe as Miss Great Britain. I like to do something different and I think this is the next challenge I want to conquer. I want to show people what pageant girls are really like and disprove a lot of stereotypes around them. I also show what it's like being a woman who's worked in male- dominated fields. I want to show that women are capable of doing anything they want."

Kerry

Age: 40

From: Essex

Job: NHS manager

The 40-year-old NHS manager described Big Brother as “the ultimate reality TV show". Essex-based Trish lives with multiple sclerosis and never applied before because the stairs leading up to the house felt unachievable. However that changed when she heard about the ITV reboot She said: “When I saw it was coming back and searching for real people from all walks of life, I thought, this is my year.” Trish is no stranger to TV, having previously won £35,000 on Deal Or No Deal.

Olivia

Age: 23

From: Glasgow

Job: Dancer

The 23-year-old dancer from Glasgow describes herself as the “life and soul of the party”. She revealed she has grown up watching Big Brother, explaining “I’ve got personality to sell and this is the best place for it”.

Yinrun

Age: 25

From: Harrogate

Job: Customer support agent

Yinrin is a 25-year-old customer support agent from Harrogate, originally from Shanghai in China she believes coming on Big Brother will help her become “more immersed in British culture”. If she won the prize money her dream would be to move to a farm.

Paul

Age: 23

From: Liverpool

Job: Security officer

The 23-year-old security officer from Liverpool reveals he lives with his granddad and the pair even go to the bathroom with the door wide open. He described himself as “extroverted to say the least” and a “bit nuts”.

Tom

Age: 21

From: Somerset

Job: Butcher

The 21-year-old butcher from Somerset described himself as "funny, outgoing - that's where the list ends." He also said he has the potential to offend people because “my mouth moves faster than my brain”.

Trish

Age: 33

From: Luton

Job: full-time mum

Originally from the Congo, Trish is a 33-year-old mum from Luton who describes herself as "very left-wing and a feminist". She said she wants to “humanise refugees and immigrants” and show there are “real humans” behind the statistics.

You can watch Big Brother nightly (except Saturday) on ITV2 from 9pm