In a statement, Channel 5 said: “The forthcoming series of Big Brother will be the last– of either celebrity or civilian versions – on Channel 5. We’d like to thank Endemol and all of the production team who have worked tirelessly to make the show a success.

"We’d also like to thank our brilliant presenters – Emma [Willis] on Big Brother and Rylan [Clark-Neal] from Bit on the Side – for their consummate professionalism, Marcus, the voice of Big Brother and all of the housemates who have created so many memorable moments.

"Most importantly, we’d like to thank fans of the show for their support over the last seven years. We look forward to giving the final series a brilliant send-off.”

Production company Endemol, which has made the show for Channel 5 for the past seven years, and for Channel 4 before that, said it was "incredibly proud" of its performance.

“We are incredibly proud of Big Brother which has consistently been the highest rated show for Channel 5 over the past seven years, with the latest series of Celebrity Big Brother being the channel’s highest rating show of the year, growing its’ audience year on year by 17% and tripling the channel’s slot average for 16-24s. This performance is credit to the fantastic production team, plus Emma, Rylan, Marcus and the many housemates over the years who have delivered so many unmissable series."

Rylan Clark-Neal, former BB housemate and host of spin-off show Big Brother's Bit On The Side, shared a statement of his own following the news, saying he was "saddened" but determined "to make our last series the best yet".

The last Channel 5 series of Big Brother launches on Friday 14th September at 9pm