Big Brother - DS:BB: 'Big Brain' dropped for Big Bro 8

Spinoff series Big Brother's Big Brain will not return for this summer's series.

The weekly show, fronted by Dermot O'Leary, featured psychological profiles and analysis of the housemates' behaviour. It averaged a respectable audience of 1.4 million in the Monday, 11pm slot across the thirteen weeks of BB7 last summer.

"Every year we always look at new ways of creating spin off programming for Big Brother that offers the viewer an added experience," said a C4 spokesperson. "Big Brain was on air during last summers series and this year's celebrity version but there are no plans to bring it back for the forthcoming BB."

The news comes after O'Leary landed the main presenting role on ITV's X Factor. Despite the new commitment, he will continue to front BBLB for this summer's run.