Much as many of you may have hoped it would be cancelled, it looks pretty definite now that Big Brother 9 is almost up and running.

The show is due to launch early next month and Virgin have announced today that they will once again sponsor the show.

James Kydd, managing director of marketing and brand for Virgin Media said: “We’re really pleased to be aligned with the show again.

“When it’s not being broadcast on Channel 4, we look forward to keeping fans up to date via our mobile, TV and web portal platforms.”