The BBC is in negotiations to bring back the Survivor format, 20 years after it last aired in the UK.

Broadcast is reporting a 13-episode season would be produced by Banijay label Remarkable Entertainment for BBC1, with production to begin early next year in a still un-disclosed exotic location.

Survivor has aired for 42 seasons in the United States, with numerous regional versions airing throughout the world.

The format for the show was conceived by Charlie Parsons at Planet 24 and sold to CBS in the United States before being picked up by ITV in 2000. The show aired for two seasons and hosted by newsreader Mark Austin, who was replaced as host by cricket pundit Mark Nicholas for season two.

The decision by the BBC to pick up an outside format is likely to spark some controversy from local producers, as it follows a recent decision by the BBC to pursue a reboot of the iconic format Gladiators. ITV has also joined the reboot trend, with a recent decision to bring back the series Big Brother.

However an individual close to the project told Broadcast that the show is an iconic reality format.

"It’s up there alongside Big Brother as a classic social experiment that’s exciting to watch," they said. "There will be a whole generation of youngsters who won’t have seen anything like it. Sometimes formats change when they return but this will stay true to its origins with a modern twist."

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