[Amy]

THOUSANDS of hopefuls flocked to Manchester to take part in auditons for this year's Big Brother.

Among them were dozens of people from Bolton, dressed as firemen, nurses and even in bikinis despite the cold weather on Saturday.

They were bidding to land a part as one of 10 housemates on the cult Channel 4 show.

The auditions took place in the CIS building in the city centre - with the queues stretching around the building and beyond.

Many people said their motivation for appearing on Big Brother was to become "rich and famous".

Melanie Thomas, aged 27, from Tonge Moor, and Rachel Webb, 21, from Farnworth, spent three hours in the queue, scantily clad in bikinis.

Miss Thomas said: "I want to get into Big Brother and win the prize money for my daughter. I want to have the time of my life in the house."

Sharon Barnes, aged 23, from Adlington, said: "I want to do it for a laugh. I've watched it ever since it started and now I fancy giving it a go myself."

Daniel Richardson, aged 18, from Bury, said: "I want to get into the Big Brother house because I want to be famous and get rich quickly. I'll make everyone laugh in the house with my sense of humour."

Brett Hall, aged 38, of Atherton, said: "I've been here for more than two hours in the cold. What am I doing here? I want to make some money and Big Brother will offer me that chance if I become a housemate on the show. I've got a lot of life experience which I can bring to the house."

Louise Orrell, aged 18, from Leigh, said: "I want to be famous. I've got so much character, I'm bubbly and I never give up when there is a challenge. I've been here for three hours with just a hot water bottle to keep me warm."

Duncan Francis, aged 24, Daisy Hill, said: "It's an easy £80,000 to make, just sitting on your backside doing nothing all day. I could do that." Big Brother is hosting auditions across the country until March 6.

The Channel 4 show used to select contestants from videotape submissions but, following on from last year, would-be participants are being invited to turn up in person.

Producers selected the people who stood out in the queues, taking wannabe contestants into mocked-up diary rooms to sell themselves to Big Brother for a full minute.

A spokesman said: "We are looking for people who stand out. If they leap out of the crowd and make an impression, we think they will make an impression on our viewers."

Those who made it through were invited back for more in-depth interviews and the chance of going on to the next stage.

Article This Is Lancashire

[Hooly One]

And i'm one who made an impression, let's hope i get past the next round.