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Arneldo
03-01-2006, 07:15 PM
The Celebrity Big Brother Press Release is copyright of Channel 4 Television

INTRODUCTION: CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER RETURNS FOR A FOURTH SERIES

Launch – Thursday 5 January 2006 at 9pm on Channel 4

Celebrity Big Brother is returning to Channel 4 with an even bigger fourth series. For the first time, a record ten celebrity housemates will move into the revamped Big Brother house and viewers will be able to watch their every move for longer than ever before - for just over three weeks on both Channel 4 and E4.

As always, however, the unsuspecting group have no idea what Big Brother has in store for them but, for the first time in their lives, this group of celebrities will be living a life away from their usual luxuries. From the second the doors shut on Thursday night, the celebrities will have to follow Big Brother’s strict rules; participate in tasks; nominate for eviction; and will have no contact with the outside world. That means no access to newspapers, mobile phones and strictly no agents.

The decision as to who stays and who goes is, as always, controlled by the viewers who will be able to vote via telephone, text message and interactive TV. All eviction votes cost 50p per vote and a percentage of each vote (16p) will be donated to a group of charities chosen by the celebrities. Each celebrity housemate will nominate a charity to support and the total money raised via voting revenue will be split equally. This means each housemate will raise an equal amount of money for their chosen charity, regardless of where they finish in the competition.

The Celebrity Big Brother website’s newsroom will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep fans up-to-date on all events in the house, as well as offering email updates and chat forums. In addition, website users will be able to follow all the house action by subscribing to the live streaming.

Angela Jain, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 said: “The line-up of celebrities this year speaks for itself. It's definitely one of the strongest ever. Seeing them live together under such close scrutiny should make illuminating and entertaining viewing.”

Sharon Powers, Executive Producer of Celebrity Big Brother said: “We’re really excited with our Celebrity line-up this year. We have a truly diverse bunch of housemates and who knows what might happen when they all start living under the same roof. Big Brother will be as twisted as ever, so it should make for a good watch.”

Celebrity Big Brother is sponsored by Carphone Warehouse.



INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER SHARON POWERS

Sharon Powers is the Executive Producer of Celebrity Big Brother; a role she filled in last summer’s Big Brother 6.

What's going to be different about this year's Celebrity Big Brother?
Firstly, we've lined up a brand new bunch of celebrities, who will add their own unique personalities to the show. However, just because the housemates are celebrities, doesn't mean that Big Brother isn't in charge or afraid to call the shots.

How do you go about recruiting for Celebrity Big Brother?
We have a brilliant Celebrity team who put out lots of requests to agents, and then we meet up with the celebrities who are interested in doing the show, and who we think will be interesting to watch.

We've spent the last two months meeting all manner of famous personalities and we hope the ones we've chosen to go into the house will be thoroughly entertaining throughout January.

Who would be your dream Celebrity Big Brother line-up... or have you signed your dream team?
Obviously, it would be amazing to have housemates like Brad Pitt, Robert de Niro or The Queen living in the Big Brother house - all of whom said they would have loved to do it, but the dates didn't work. But, we're really chuffed with our line-up.

Do you think the celebrities you're talking to are getting wise to the Big Brother game and will really play the game?
Some of our celebrities are Big Brother addicts, and others less so - but all of them understand the rules of the game, and are looking forward to it. They are all genuinely up for it and have promised to throw themselves into the experience. Also, no matter what you think you might do in the house, you can never second guess what surprise Big Brother might have up his sleeve.

Will you be pandering to any celebrity diva demands?
No.

Why do you think we're all so fascinated by watching celebrities in the house?
The wonderful thing about watching celebrities in the Big Brother house is that you realise they are just like us - and it gives us a chance to see them warts and all.

Do you think that we are seeing the real people in the house or are they constantly acting a part?
I think housemates will always perform to the cameras in the Big Brother house, but you cannot keep an act up 24/7. I do think we will get to see who each celebrity really is, and I think they all realise that too.

Is there a different feel working on Celebrity Big Brother from a regular Big Brother?
The key difference is actually finding the housemates. For Big Brother 6 we spent weeks touring the country holding open auditions, but with Celebrity Big Brother you are targeting specific individuals.

However, the tasks and twists that we are devising would sit as comfortably on a regular Big Brother, as a Celebrity one. I'm pretty confident that the celebrities will give us a run for our money though - but that's all part of the fun.

Do you get to have a life at all when filming is going on?
Big Brother becomes my life.

Why do you think celebrities agree to come on the show?
There are lots of different reasons - some to get their points of view across; some to show the public who they really are; some because they love the programme and want to know what it's actually like to take part.

Who have been your favourite celebrity housemates in the past?
Jackie Stallone and John McCririck - I think that they made a fascinating watch on Celebrity Big Brother 3, but we're quietly confident that our brand new line-up will give everyone plenty to talk about.

Are you looking for characters like John McCririck this year?
I think John McCririck was one of the best Celebrity housemates we’ve ever had on the programme, not just because he is a ‘big eccentric character’, but also because he was totally himself. I think the viewers are very sophisticated these days and can see through anyone who is putting on an act or pretending to be something that they’re not. I believe that the way John behaved in the Big Brother house is exactly the way he is when he’s at home alone with his wife Booby.

How do you think the celebrities will get on in the house this year?
There is absolutely no way for anyone to tell how our celebrity housemates will get on once they are all living in the confines of the Big Brother house. What I can say is that you would never find them all at the same dinner party, nightclub or media event, which should make for some interesting viewing.

What similarities will there be to the themes and tasks featured in Big Brother 6?
The tasks and twists constantly surprised the housemates in Big Brother 6 - they didn't always know who to trust, who might have secrets or who was telling lies. It wouldn't surprise me if this was the same for our celebrity housemates in Celebrity Big Brother 4.

Can we expect any changes to the format this year?
Yes. Celebrity Big Brother 4 with reflect the summer series, but we have lots of new twists and surprises planned that will give our celebrity housemates something new and unexpected to cope with, every step of the way.

Is there more secrecy surrounding this series than ever before?
No more than usual - everything is always top secret on Big Brother. It's like working for MI5.

Can you give us a few hints?!
No.

What’s your worst nightmare?
My worst nightmare is none of the celebrities turning up or nobody tuning in to watch.



THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE CHATS UP THIS YEAR’S CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER

Following the enormous success of Big Brother 6, The Carphone Warehouse is excited to announce its exclusive sponsorship of this year’s Celebrity Big Brother under its parent Carphone Warehouse brand. Kicking off in January 2006, the usual mix of eccentric celebs are set to get the country talking as they bare all to the nation.

The Carphone Warehouse’s very own celebrity character, Mowbli, will be the centre of attention in the TV idents to be shown throughout the series. With a theme of ‘celebrity lifestyles,’ Mowbli will be seen in a variety of situations, highlighting the ‘Star Treatment’ that your mobile phone can receive at The Carphone Warehouse.

A far cry from his recent work where Mowbli was seen escaping from a factory; he is now seen walking the red carpet, hanging out in the back of a limo, working out with his very own personal trainer, and even attending his book launch to sign copies of his autobiography ‘Pushing My Buttons’.

Tristia Clarke, Marketing Director at The Carphone Warehouse, said: “We are delighted to be working with Big Brother again and are confident that the celebrity series will be a huge success. Mowbli has become a little celeb in his own right so it’s fitting that he should be so involved!”


CHANNEL 4 PROGRAMMING

Channel 4 viewers can keep up with events in the Celebrity Big Brother house throughout the three-week run in a variety of ways. In brief, Channel 4 viewers will be able to watch:

A live show with the 10 celebrity housemates entering the house on launch night.
A nightly hour-long show with action from the previous 24 hours in the house.
Live eviction programmes presented by Davina McCall.
Dermot O’Leary presenting Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Breakfast live during a new morning weekday slot and Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Brother on T4 each Sunday.
Late-night streaming live from the house.


LAUNCH NIGHT

Celebrity Big Brother Live Launch Show
Davina McCall presents live from the Celebrity Big Brother studios where tonight a new group of housemates will enter the Big Brother house for the very first time, live on Channel 4. Viewers will see the new housemates as they share their very first moments together and settle in for what could be the most uncompromising and unpredictable few of weeks of their lives.

Celebrity Big Brother Live
It's the celebrity housemates’ first night together - how are they getting on? Find out live and direct from the Big Brother house.

DAY 2

Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Breakfast
Dermot O’Leary presents the first edition of Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Breakfast live as the new celebrity housemates are waking up on their first morning in the Big Brother house. Dermot will be joined by celebrity friends and fans to give their opinions of the new housemates, along with Expert analysis and the latest overnight news from the house.

REGULAR SHOWS

Celebrity Big Brother - Nightly Highlights Show
The nightly hour-long programmes will feature all the action from the previous 24 hours in the house, including tasks and nominations.

Live Eviction Show
Davina McCall will announce the result of the viewers’ vote and the evicted celebrity will exit the house live on the show. The evicted housemate will then give their first interview, since leaving their housemates behind, to Davina.

Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Breakfast / Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Brother
The half-hour fanzine show will be the number one destination for all Celebrity Big Brother news, gossip and interviews. Viewers will be able to wake up to Dermot O’Leary every weekday morning as he will reveal the latest overnight news from the Celebrity Big Brother house. Dermot will also present Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Brother live from the Celebrity Big Brother nucleus every Sunday afternoon during T4.
Dermot will be regularly joined by the celebrity housemates’ relatives, friends and showbiz colleagues, who will reveal what their loved ones are really like in the outside world. Fans can be one step ahead with insider scoops on upcoming twists and catch the first in-depth interviews with evicted celebrity housemates since returning to their showbiz lives. Meanwhile, other celebrities, journalists, psychologists and experts will also be dropping in to discuss the latest goings-on in the house. CBBLB viewers get the total Celebrity Big Brother experience, as they can contact Dermot in the studio via phone calls and text messages.

Celebrity Big Brother Live (streaming)
Channel 4 viewers will have a chance to watch late-night streaming broadcast live and direct from the house every night.

E4 PROGRAMMING

E4 will continue to be the number one destination for all die-hard Celebrity Big Brother devotees, who want to catch all the action live, as it happens. This year, in addition to broadcasting streamed coverage around the clock, E4 will be offering the following:

Live coverage from the Celebrity Big Brother house for up to 20 hours a day
Celebrity Big Brother’s live debate show, Celebrity Big Brother’s Big Mouth, presented by Russell Brand will be even bigger this year, returning with six evening shows a week.
Celebrity Big Brother Diary Room Uncut in which viewers can watch as the housemates disclose their true feelings about each other and life in the house during their regular visits to the Diary Room and during weekly nominations.
Another chance to see the latest editions of Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother’s Big Brother.

Live Streaming
Once again, viewers will be able to keep track of all the Celebrity Big Brother housemates’ activities by tuning into live streaming on E4.

Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth – every weekday evening from Friday 6 January
It’s 10pm and the credits have just rolled on tonight’s Channel 4 Celebrity Big Brother, so tune into Celebrity Big Brother’s Big Mouth to get the latest reactions from celebrities, fans, journalists and viewers.
All the latest Celebrity Big Brother news and gossip will be debated live in E4’s lively debate show and this year, for the first time, Big Brother’s Big Mouth will transmit six nights a week and immediately after Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother highlights programme.
Presented by Russell Brand and broadcast live in the shadow of the Big Brother house, it’s a fast-paced vibrant arena for all Big Brother fans to air their views and ask the questions on everybody’s lips. In front of a live studio audience, a panel of Big Brother experts including journalists, celebrities, obsessive fans, and friends and relatives of the housemates, will discuss and debate the recent happenings in the house. Plus viewers can get involved by calling and ranting into the Big Brother’s Big Mouth mouthpiece. Also, viewers can email or text their thoughts and become a member of the studio audience.

Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Brother (repeat)
Another chance to catch Dermot and the CBBLB team.

Celebrity Big Brother (repeat)
Another chance to find out what’s been going on over the past 24 hours in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

Celebrity Big Brother Diary Room Uncut
E4 viewers get an exclusive insight into exactly what's been said in the most secret and revealing room in the house. In the infamous diary room chair the celebrity housemates can grumble, gossip, cry and connive without anyone else in the house hearing or seeing them. This is where the celebrity housemates disclose their true feelings about each other and life in the house and also where they reveal the names of the housemates they’d like to nominate for eviction.



THE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER HOUSE

The celebrities will live in the same Big Brother house that was used on Big Brother 6 last summer (2005) and is located once more within Elstree Film and Television Studios in Hertfordshire. The house has been redesigned for this series of Celebrity Big Brother by Peter Gordon but retains some key elements from the summer.

However, this year’s Celebrity Big Brother house has some newly created areas; a relaxing spa, which includes a sauna and indoor pool. Plus there is a gym. There is also an outdoor log cabin, equipped with a heater and bench area for the celebrities to sit in.

There are no double beds in the glass-fronted bedroom, and the bathroom and shower have been brought into the house and are located in the one bedroom. The only other toilet can be accessed through the living room, which is enclosed within a glass box in the garden. Once more, there is also a separate dining area for the housemates to eat in, located next to ‘aspirationally’-designed kitchen.

Some trivia about the Celebrity Big Brother house

It took 10 weeks to build the Celebrity Big Brother house.
94 people worked on its construction.
The main living area is 154 square metres in size.
185 litres of paint were used to decorate the house.
361 tiles were used in the bathroom.
There are 53 mirrors and 197 lights.
In total there are 39 cameras used to film the action.

Technical Specifications

The Celebrity Big Brother house is, as always, fully equipped with state-of-the-art audio and visual recording equipment to document every movement made and every word said in the house and garden, 24 hours a day. This includes:

Five manned Sony broadcast cameras which will follow participants from behind one-way mirrors
Staff in the Celebrity Big Brother control room operate an additional 21 remote-controlled cameras in the house fitted to remote-controlled pan and tilt head cameras located in the house
A further 13 fixed cameras ensure that every area of the house and garden is under surveillance.
Over 40 microphones provide comprehensive audio coverage, and every participant wears a compulsory radio microphone.
A Tannoy system allows the voice of Big Brother to issue instructions to the house members.
Almost 100 kilometres of cable have been used in the technical construction of the Big Brother house.
Over 50 monitors are housed within the Big Brother control room, watched by a 24/7 production team of directors and producers.
The Celebrity Big Brother team works around-the-clock and, even at midnight, there are three producers and two directors on duty, plus 22 other crew members
Over 30 web experts are needed to produce the 24/7 live web streaming.
A production team of over 150 people work to bring all the Celebrity Big Brother programmes to air.
There are 10 edit suites on site.



THE CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER RULES

The usual Big Brother rules apply to Celebrity Big Brother. These include the following:

There is no contact with the outside world.
Housemates are filmed 24 hours a day and must wear personal microphones at all times.
The Diary Room is the only place in the house where Big Brother will interact with housemates individually.
Visits to the Diary Room are compulsory.
Nominations are compulsory.
Housemates must give frank and honest reasons for nominations.
It is not permitted to discuss nominations or to try to influence anyone else’s nominations.
Eviction is decided by public vote.
All tasks and challenges are compulsory.
Housemates must not act violently towards any other housemate.
Housemates are free to leave the house at any time.
If a housemate breaks the rules they may be asked to leave the house.
Big Brother reserves the right to change the rules at any time.

Personal Belongings

As in all Big Brother series, the celebrity housemates have restrictions on what personal belongings they can bring into the house. They are each allowed to pack just one suitcase and one small bag to bring into the house. Many of the items they are permitted to bring in are at the discretion of Big Brother so all bags will be checked prior to entering the house and inventories of their contents will be compiled. The celebrity housemates are allowed to bring into the house up to six bottles or cans of beer or two bottles of wine. They can also bring a reasonable quantity of toiletries into the house, but they will need to prioritise and any additional items needed during the duration of the stay must be purchased out of the joint shopping budget.

Items banned from the house include musical instruments, books, games, writing materials, mobile phones, radios, walkmans, CDs or CD players, iPods, computers, PDAs (Psion, Palm Pilot, etc), calendars, clocks and watches, drugs and narcotics, personal medication (except in consultation with Big Brother), weapons, any electronic equipment or items requiring batteries and clothes with prominent logos.

Other House Rules

Participants must wear their radio-microphones at all times during waking hours. Microphones can only be taken off in bed, in the shower and in the spa pool. Housemates are responsible for changing the batteries in their microphones at regular intervals. If housemates attempt to communicate without the cameras or microphones recording the communication (e.g. tampering with microphones, writing secret messages, mouthing words off-camera) or if they try to tamper with, or cover recording equipment, then Big Brother reserves the right to expel them from the house.

Prior to entering the Celebrity Big Brother house, the housemates are not allowed to talk to the media. Neither are they permitted to know the identities of their fellow housemates.



FOOD, HOUSEKEEPING, TASKS, CHALLENGES AND MISSIONS

Food and alcohol in the house is supplied only by Big Brother. The housemates will participate in compulsory tasks to determine their shopping budget. If the housemates fail a weekly task, they will each lose an amount per head to spend on shopping that week; if they pass, they have the luxury of spending more money per head that week.

In addition, the housemates will also be set challenges and secret missions, playing for the chance to win power over their fellow housemates.



EVICTIONS

The celebrities can leave the house in three ways: they may be evicted; they can leave of their own free will (and may do so at any time); or in exceptional circumstances they may be asked to leave by Big Brother At the end of the series viewers will then vote for the winner.

Voluntary/ Involuntary Departure

If a housemate wants to leave they must first report to the Diary Room and give their reasons for leaving.

Big Brother may ask a housemate to leave the house if they behave inappropriately, for example, if they engage in violent or abusive behaviour, or damage the house or its contents.

Celebrity housemates who leave voluntarily, or who have been asked to leave, may be replaced at Big Brother’s discretion.

The Eviction Process

Celebrity housemates will be called in alphabetical order to the Diary Room to nominate fellow housemates for eviction, at a time chosen by Big Brother. Any housemate refusing to make a nomination or failing to provide Big Brother with a satisfactory reason for their nomination will be reprimanded at Big Brother’s discretion. Housemates are not allowed to discuss their nominations with other house members or to try to influence anyone else’s nominations.

The Diary Room nominations will not be streamed live on the website or E4. The results of the nominations process will be announced to the participants at Big Brother’s discretion and will be included in the Channel 4 highlights show the following evening. E4 viewers can watch the nominations at length on E4’s Nominations Uncut show the day after nominations have taken place.

The housemates who receive the most nomination votes at this stage are then subject to the public vote, conducted via telephone, text message and interactive TV.

Viewers and housemates will only find out who is to be evicted during Channel 4’s live evening eviction shows, presented by Davina McCall, and the evicted housemate will leave during the second live show. During the final week of the series, viewers will be asked to vote for who they want to become the winner of Celebrity Big Brother.

Big Brother reserves the right to change the frequency, times and details of nominations and evictions at any time.


WAYS TO VOTE

Viewers can vote for the celebrity housemate they want to evict (and at the end of the series for the housemate they want to win) by:

Telephone - Viewers in the UK and Republic of Ireland can call the Celebrity Big Brother voting lines each week to evict the housemates. (UK calls cost 50p. Calls from the Republic of Ireland cost 75€ incl VAT. Mobile and other network rates may vary.)
Text message (50p plus your standard network rate)

16p for each 50p vote will by distributed equally between the Celebrity Housemate’s chosen charities.



BROADBAND VIDEO

Channel4.com users will be offered exclusive access to:

A live stream with all the action direct from the Celebrity Big Brother house.
Video clip highlights of the show
One month’s access to the archive of all the highlights

Users can subscribe to all this for £7.99 for a series pass; £4.99 for a weekly pass and £1.99 for a day pass



MOBILE SERVICES

Channel 4 offers a range of mobile phone services for Celebrity Big Brother fans on the move. In brief, the services, available across all UK mobile phone networks, are:

SMS Services
Fans can keep up with all the latest housemate news and gossip with SMS text alerts
24/7 News, pictures and video clips from the Channel 4 Mobile Portal



OTHER KEY SERVICES

Eviction Voting
Viewers can again vote for whom they want to be evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house from wherever they are. Viewers can simply send a text message with the name of the celebrity they want to vote for to the Big Brother shortcode 84444. They will then receive a message confirming that their vote has been registered. All texts will be charged at mobile operators' text message rate plus 50p.


News and Gossip
Celebrity Big Brother fans can keep up to date with the latest news, views and gossip from the news team stationed at the house via SMS News messaging. To receive text alerts, with all the latest top news and gossip stories as it happens, direct to their mobile phone, fans can send a text message with the words BBNEWS to 83188. Texts will be charged at mobile operators' text message rate plus 25p.

Access Big Brother news and info - wherever you are
Viewers with a WAP enabled phone can access the Channel 4 Mobile portal, where they can view news around the clock, as it happens, as well as pictures and video clips. To access the Channel 4 portal, text the word MOBILE to 83188.



INTERACTING WITH CHANNEL 4 and E4 PROGRAMMES

Text the Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother Studio. Viewers will have the opportunity to send text messages with comments and questions to Dermot at the studio. To text the studio, viewers can send the keyword STUDIO plus their message to 83188. Charged at mobile operators' text message rate plus 25p.



MOBILE AND OTHER PHONE SERVICES

Viewers in the UK and Republic of Ireland can call the Celebrity Big Brother eviction voting lines to vote to evict the housemates. Each housemate will be allocated a number and will keep that number throughout the run (the names of the celebrity housemates and the voting line numbers will be released at a later date.) UK calls cost 50p. Mobile phone calls and other networks may vary.

Viewers can leave a message for Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother to get involved with the show by calling 09011 101 101. Calls cost 25p

Viewers can put their questions to the live panel on Big Brother's Big Mouth by calling 0871 200 10 44. Calls cost a max. of 10p per minute.



THE WEBSITE

Europe’s most popular entertainment website is back with all the latest news, gossip and information from the Celebrity Big Brother house, at www.channel4.com/bigbrother
In brief:

24/7 news team supplying up-to-the-minute bulletins.
Free daily email updates.
Live streaming and video clips from the house to subscribers.
In-depth profiles of the housemates.
All the must-see pictures in exclusive photo galleries.
Official Celebrity Big Brother forums, where fans can exchange opinions or chat live.
Competitions to win eviction night tickets and a range of prizes.
Updates from Big Brother’s Little Brother and Big Brother’s Big Mouth

An online team monitor all activity in the house 24 hours a day, seven days a week, supplying up to-the-minute news bulletins and pictures on all the main events of the day.

The site also offers a live, 24/7 video stream from the Big Brother house, with highlights available on demand. (See Broadband video section for details.) Users can subscribe for £7.99 for the duration of Celebrity Big Brother.

The Celebrity Big Brother forums allow fans to exchange views and opinions or chat live. They can send their questions to evicted housemates in a live web chat or register their opinion in one of the regular online polls. The ‘Tour the House’ section will give users an insight into those famous four walls.

The site carries vital up-to-date information, such as who is up for nomination and what the odds are of them being evicted. There are also background profiles, extensive picture galleries and stories about each of the housemates. As events in the house unfold, there’ll be analysis from the show’s team of psychologists and the housemates’ family and friends.

Those who prefer the news sent straight to their computer can sign up for free daily email updates.

www.channel4.com/bigbrother



THE PRESENTERS


Biography of Celebrity Big Brother presenter DAVINA McCALL

2004 saw Davina hosting the fifth series of Big Brother for Channel 4. She lorded over the BAFTA Television Awards and hosted Love on a Saturday Night for ITV1.

Since fronting three series of Don't Try This at Home for the ITV network, and occasionally participating in dare-devil challenges, Davina presented StreetMate; the cult dating show for Channel 4. She hosted The Brit Awards 2000 for ITV and The British Fashion Awards 2000 for BBC2. Davina has fronted Big Brother for Channel 4 since its inception in 2000.

2001 brought about a whole new set of challenges for Davina, such as playing the lead in one of ITV's new sitcoms Sam's Game, and presenting the second series of Big Brother, plus hosting the hidden camera show Oblivious for primetime ITV1 and Closure for BBC Choice.

2002 saw Davina hosting ITV1's big money game show The Vault and the unforgettable third series of Big Brother for Channel 4. For BBC Choice Davina returned with a second series of Closure. And on ITV1 Davina presented Popstars - The Rivals.

2003 saw Davina being invited back to present The Brits for ITV1, plus Celebrity Streetmate for Comic Relief on BBC1, Reborn in the USA for ITV1 and Big Brother 4 for Channel 4.

In 2004, Davina hosted the prestigious BAFTA Television Awards for ITV1 and Big Brother 5 for Channel 4 and in 2005, Davina presented the third series of Celebrity Big Brother saw as well as Big Brother.

Davina plays an essential part in Comic Relief's fundraising programme screened on BBC1. In 2000 she travelled to Nairobi to give an update on the work being carried out by the charity, in 2001 she visited Uganda to oversee a house building initiative, while 2002 saw her return to Nairobi.



Biography of DERMOT O’LEARY, presenter of Celebrity Big Brother’s Little Breakfast

Dermot O’Leary most recently fronted this year’s UK Music Hall of Fame, which returned to Channel 4 screens this November. It comprised of a two-week special culminating in the prestigious induction ceremony, which saw a line up of music legends including Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan. Dermot also recently filmed a special one on one interview with Madonna called Confessions of Madonna for Channel 4, where Dermot talked to the star about her forthcoming documentary. In 2005 he headed another successful series of Big Brother’s Little Brother for Channel 4 and has also been hosting regularly on a Saturday afternoon, The Dermot O’Leary Show on Radio 2, this comes after he started his radio career with his own indie music show on XFM. He also co hosted Comic Relief this year along with Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross & Graham Norton.

In 2004 Dermot started the year with Shattered for Channel 4, which involved contestants battling against sleep deprivation, followed by the third series of SAS Are You Tough Enough? for BBC2 (nominated for a National TV Award) filmed in the Namibian desert, and Born to Win for BBC1, in which young promising athletes competed for a once-in-a-lifetime bursary opportunity.

Spending the early part of his career as a researcher, Dermot now has his own production company Murfia. Having a few credits under its belt including Dermot’s Sporting Buddies and Parent Trap for BBC3, Murfia is developing several pilots; some with Dermot presenting and some producing.

Diversity is Dermot’s strength, starting out by establishing the hugely successful T4 for Channel 4, Dermot’s credits include Big Brothers Little Brother for Channel 4 which he has anchored for the last four years, Some Of My Best Friends Are… Catholic for Channel 4 and Re:Covered, a music show for BBC3, winner of a RTS award and nominated for a Montreaux Rose.

‘Live’ is Dermot’s forte and he has hosted many events, including The Elle Style Awards, Party in the Park, The Clothes Show Live, The Empire Film Awards, The British Independent Film Awards , The Heat Crusaid Auction and also the Oxfam Make Trade Fair Concert.

Dermot’s main interests include music, film, cooking and anything ocean-based. He is a keen diver, fisher, surfer and body-boarder and has now three London Marathons under his belt and his recently completed Great North Run!



Biography of Big Brother’s Big Mouth RUSSELL BRAND

After fronting Big Brother’s EFOURUM during Big Brother 5 (2004) and 6 (2005) and Celebrity Big Brother 3 (2005), Russell is back on E4 ready to debate the goings on in Celebrity Big Brother.

Russell made his theatrical debut, aged 15, in Bugsy Malone, but soon after Essex council funded an education at the Italia Conti stage school, which lead to a three-year scholarship at the drama centre in Camden.

In his spare time he began performing stand up in pubs around London and reached the final of the prestigious Hackney Empire new act of the year competition. Brand was denied the victory, but was a runner up and his angry young man- political rantings caught the eye of Time Out's Malcolm Hay who dubbed him "Essex's Bill Hicks".

Further gigs at the Empire followed and a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival with more flattering reviews and an appearance in the So You Think You’re Funny? final.

MTV caught Russell's show at the festival and gave him his own series, Dance Floor Chart, where he bantered bizarrely with intoxicated youths in discos. Additionally he presented Select their flagship tea-time phone in show. When Jackass arrived in Blighty, Russell was afforded the dubious privilege of promoting it for MTV UK.

RE:BRAND followed for UK Play "a challenging look at cultural taboos. He also presented his own show on Sunday afternoon for Xfm and acted in Channel 4's White Teeth (as Merlin-hippy commune leader/drug dealer) and in the Steve Coogan vehicle Cruise of the Gods.

Summer 2004 saw Russell host Kings of Comedy for E4, and he also took his one man show Better Now to the Edinburgh Festival - a hilariously honest chronicle of Russell’s odyssey through a twilight world of *****s, heroin and hairdos, demonstrating that the road of excess leads to the palace of unemployment. The show was a complete sell out and received four and five star reviews in The Times, The Guardian, The Scotsman and The Metro amongst others.

Russell will be recording two new pilot shows for BBC Radio 2 continuing a busy and exciting year which has seen him enjoy a critically acclaimed Edinburgh run of his latest stand up show Eroticized Humour. Russell also has several further high profile upcoming projects including a part alongside Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon in the major Hollywood film Penelope.

Russell can also frequently be seen appearing alongside ex-Libertine Carl Barat and Graham Coxon at the Dirty Pretty Things night at Camden club Koko.

stoney12
04-01-2006, 09:50 PM
Thanks for all that.I am glad to see the return of big mouth and russell brand,I know he is not everyones choice but I think he is very quick and funny.