When is Celebrity Big Brother back? Who will the housemates be? And what’s all this about a ‘UK vs. USA’ theme? Here bbspy rounds up all the information you need to know about the summer 2015 series!

So, Celebrity Big Brother is back again!

Indeed it is – how time flies. And what’s crazier is that it’s the sixteenth series – which means there has now been as many Celebrity Big Brothers as civilian ones. Crikey!

What’s the big twist this time?

Americans have long been part of Celebrity Big Brother, but since it moved to Channel 5 they’ve become an even bigger deal. Speidi’s cunning drama kept us hooked, Gary Busey became the first ever US winner, and Perez Hilton dominated with his outrageous antics.

So for CBB16, bosses have decided to capitalise on all of this by pitting teams of British and American housemates against each other in an all-out war that will “deliver huge consequences for the losers and ultimate power to the champions” (what that power entails isn’t quite clear yet).

It’s worth noting that the official name of this run is still just ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ – i.e. it’s not ‘Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs. USA’ in the way this year’s civilian series was ‘Big Brother: Timebomb’.

What does the eye logo look like?

Check it out for yourself above! The Big Brother graphics geniuses have gone with an arena theme (because the house is the arena for the UK vs. USA battle, obv), hence the eye depicts the British and American flags in neon with lighting rigs for borders (and the obligatory gold star pupil).

And there’s a snazzy new trailer to go with it?

You betcha! The American wrestling-style trailer has an energetic voiceover and fast-paced graphics – cutting to presenters Emma Willis and Rylan Clark enjoying some afternoon tea.

It’s an ad you’ll either love or hate, but we reckon it’s so ridiculously over-the-top that it may just be Channel 5’s best Celebrity Big Brother advert yet! Hit play on the video above to check it out.

Has the house been redecorated?

Yes – but we don’t know to what extent. Bosses may have just tweaked the civilian house, as in previous summer CBBs – but they might have gone further, having had five weeks to work on it.

All we know about the new look at the moment is that it will feature (you guessed it) emblems from both the UK and USA. Official pictures should be here in the next few days.

Who are the new Celebrity Big Brother housemates?

As always, the rumour mill has been in overdrive and plenty of names have been thrown about (but remember that no housemate is ‘confirmed’ until they’re in the house).

Those thought to be in contention from the UK include glamour model Keeley Hazell, The Apprentice reject James Hill, ‘selfie queen’ Karen Danczuk, comedian Bobby Davro, Atomic Kitten singer Natasha Hamilton, and X Factor couple Chloe Jasmine and Stevie Ritchie.

Meanwhile, model Janice Dickinson, rapper Fatman Scoop, Lindsay Lohan’s mother Dina, comedienne Kathy Griffin (pictured above), and actor Daniel Baldwin (brother of former CBB7 contestant Stephen) could end up representing the US.

The UK vs. USA theme suggests there might be a half-half split of Brits and Yanks in the house (although that’s just us speculating) – but despite the transatlantic theme, former Dancing On Ice judge Jason Gardiner is also said to be on the verge of signing up, even though he’s Australian.

When is Bit On The Side on? And will there be any live feed?

For the first time in two years, BOTS will run seven days a week again (it was previously cut to five). It’s expected to air on digital channel 5* at weekends, although C5 has yet to confirm this. Rylan’s got his work cut out for him, as he will host every single episode without any regular nights off. What a trooper!

And you might want to check for flying pigs outside, as it seems that Channel 5 is generously increasing the amount of live feed for this series.

Preliminary schedules suggest that there will be an hour every weeknight at around midnight on 5* (in addition to the half hours on C5 after evictions), but again, we’re still awaiting confirmation.

I’m in Ireland – can I watch the new Celebrity Big Brother?

Yes, you can! As part of its one-year deal for the rights to air Big Brother in the Republic of Ireland, you can watch UK vs. USA on TV3 and 3e. The main show looks set to go out on TV3 every night simultaneously with C5, while BBBOTS will remain on 3e.

When does Celebrity Big Brother start? And how long is it on for?

Here’s the news you’ve been waiting for: Celebrity Big Brother returns to our screens on Thursday 27th August at 9.00pm!

Tabloid reports suggest it could be the longest series ever, lasting five weeks. C5 is currently saying it will consist of 32 episodes – but as we saw earlier this summer, that’s subject to change.

As always, bbspy will be bringing you all the latest news and gossip from the house, so make sure you stay tuned to our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date!

In the mean time, if you need even more CBB goodness to get you excited, you can browse lots more press shots of Emma and Rylan in their UK vs. USA garb below!