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The exclusive launch event saw a plethora of past housemates and celebrities attend as part of the National Trust’s London Project collaboration with Endemol company Initial and Channel 5. This included Alex Reid, Sophie Anderton, Nicola McClean, Brian Belo and Nikki Grahame.
Guests were able to explore the venue’s iconic spaces including the bedroom, main living area and garden, which contained a hot tub and treehouse, as well as being summoned to the diary room to sit in the iconic Big Brother chair.
A panel discussion took place in the main social quarters hosted by the National Trust’s communications director Ivo Dawnay, alongside British broadcaster Peter York and journalist Camilla Long, who talked about the benefits of opening up the property to the public.
As of today the venue will be open for two days to the general public who will be able to take a tour around the property, step inside the camera runs, visit the Big Brother gallery where post production takes place, take a look in the ‘voice of god’ booth and get access to Big Brother’s Bit On The Side studio.
Five hundred tickets, priced at £16 each for the general public and £14 each for National Trust members, were sold for the two events and demand was so high that they sold out in less than 12 hours.
Joseph Watson, programme manager for the London Project at the National Trust, told Event: "The events at the Big Brother house have sparked a lot of debate around heritage and what that means. As an organisation, we are all about special places that are beautiful, important and interesting to the general public.
"Two million people tuned into the last eviction night for Big Brother so we thought this was too good an opportunity to miss out on."
He added that the National Trust’s London Project would look to seek out further opportunities to host consumer-facing events at other reality television locations, as well as film sets and studios.
The opening of the Big Brother house this week is the first in a season of Lates events that will be rolled out by the National Trust over the next few months.
A number of locations, which normally operate limited public access, are being considered as part of the series including the Rivoli Ballroom in South London, the Old Vinyl Factory at Hayes, Crossness Pumping Station, the Master Shipwright's House, Deptford and the Charterhouse in Clerkenwell.
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