Big Brother 2023: when has the Big Brother house been locked down previously?

The new Big Brother house faced its first lockdown yesterday evening after reports that a YouTuber was flying a drone over its new location at Garden Studios in West London. Multiple news outlets have reported that the YouTuber had also claimed to have hacked their radio systems and listened in on conversations between the Big Brother crew.

A security team initially attempted to remove him and prevent a breach, but the individual refused to depart. Despite pleas from additional staff, the YouTuber persisted in filming Big Brother employees and studio vehicles entering and leaving the site. 

During the confrontation, he shouted, "I will defend myself." He remained adamant, citing his presence on a public highway and asserting that his actions were "fair game." The incident occurred amidst ongoing discussions about the show's participants and tasks.

The Sun contacted a spokesperson at ITV regarding the lockdown who responded: "We have robust and rigorous security measures in place across our site for the safety of the Big Brother house, production team and Housemates. Safety and welfare is always a priority."

Though it is the first lockdown to occur at the new Big Brother house and not even a week since the launch of ITV’s reboot of the classic reality competition, it isn’t the first lockdown since the programme arrived on our screens in 2000. So when have housemates faced a lockdown previously due to issues in and around the Big Brother house?

What were other occasions when the Big Brother house faced a security threat?

Season 1

The first year of Big Brother saw the first security issue occur, leading to producers keeping the housemates indoors while they dealt with the situation. It all stemmed after fans learned about the Machiavellian attempts of ‘Nasty’ Nick Bateman to win the competition, leading to a remote helicopter to dump flyers in the Big Brother garden trying to tell the housemates of Nick’s deeds. 

Season 4

In 2013, Big Brother contestants were called inside due to a "security risk." The exact nature of the risk was not revealed, but it was reportedly serious enough to warrant the contestants being confined to the house. The incident led to speculation that there had been an attempt to break into the house, or that someone had been trying to spy on the contestants. It was later confirmed that the risk was a bomb threat to the house, which led to the postponement of that evening's eviction and Davina McCall to explain the situation to viewers.

Season 9

In 2008, a man was arrested after trying to climb over the fence of the Big Brother house. The man was reportedly seen by security guards trying to scale the perimeter fence in the early hours of the morning. He was detained by police and later released on bail.

Season 14

In 2013, tennis balls with messages written on them were batted into the Big Brother garden. The messages were reportedly supportive of one of the housemates, but they also contained personal information about the housemates. The incident led to security being tightened at the house, with additional guards being deployed around the perimeter.

Season 16

In 2015, a drone was spotted flying over the Big Brother house. The drone was reportedly flying at a low altitude and was close enough to the house that the housemates could see it. The incident led to security being further tightened at the house, and a no-fly zone was established around the property.