[James]

INTERVIEW WITH COMMISSIONING EDITOR ANGELA JAIN


So what new things can viewers expect from this year’s series?

There’ll be lots of surprises and twists. The house has been redesigned and some of the ex housemates from this summer’s series will be acting as our roving reporters and our eyes and ears on the ground.

Is there pressure to find this year’s George Galloway and Pete Burns? Is there a winning formula used to cast housemates?

There is no formula to casting the house. The producers spend a lot of time meeting the celebrities. We make decisions based on those meetings, on instinct and on seeing how the house will work as a whole. We just hope we get it right and that some people will surprise us, because however much you know a celebrity’s public persona it’s impossible to second-guess how they will behave when they become a Big Brother housemate.

Do you think celebrities are getting wiser to Big Brother and worry about the risk of ridicule?

Most celebrities do think they totally understand the Big Brother house, but what most of them underestimate is that when they become a housemate Big Brother really does take over. Any celebrity who thinks they can sabotage the house is exciting: rule-breakers are entertaining.

What or who surprised you most about last year’s Celebrity series?

That George Galloway gave of himself so completely, that a ‘nobody’ walked into the house in January and left both a celebrity and a winner, Pete Burns - and that there was a true romance in the house.

Who would be in your dream Celebrity Big Brother line-up? Are there some celebrities who are out of bounds?

Nicole Kidman, Salman Rushdie, Michael Jackson, Kathy Burke, Whitney Houston and Marc Jacobs.

Arguments featured heavily in last year’s series. Will this year’s line-up make for potential confrontation?

Drama, tension, conflict and romance all make entertaining television and sometimes you create situations that may encourage that; sometimes a task in the house proves a catalyst for that, but sometimes situations happen in the house that just surprise you. Celebrity Big Brother works best when it’s entertaining, dramatic and revealing and when the housemates give something of themselves so that we see them change whilst they are in the house.

Big Brother enjoyed bending the rules during the summer series – what lies in store this time?

Let’s just say we have some big surprises in store…


INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS PAUL OSBORNE AND CLAIRE O’DONOHOE



What's going to be different about this year's Celebrity Big Brother?

Well, we can’t go into detail because that would spoil the surprise but there will be more celebrities than ever before, more twists, more turns and we’re hoping it’ll be the biggest and best series yet.

What’s the house like – is it still smaller than ever? Is there any sauna or spa to keep the celebs warm?

As the house was designed with an inside/outside theme in the summer we’ve had to remodel it quite a bit for the winter weather (no-one wants to eat outside in January!). But it is essentially the same house, bold and ornate - and there will still be nowhere to hide. You’ll have to wait until launch night to see what any new features might be…

Is there a particular strategy you’re using to cast this year’s housemates? Are you hoping for another George Galloway or Pete Burns or Michael Barrymore?

There is no real strategy as such – the casting process is similar in most ways to the normal Big Brother, in that we’re looking for the most diverse and fascinating housemates as possible who will be able to entertain the nation in January.

Which of last year’s celebrities surprised you most, in terms of their experience in the house?

One of the biggest surprises was, in hindsight, the Preston/Chantelle romance. Who knew that there would ever be love in the Celebrity Big Brother House?

What do you ask the celebrities when you go to meet them? How can you tell if they are suitable for the show? Is it similar to recruiting ‘civilian’ housemates?

In many ways it is a very similar process – we ask similar questions and we make sure that any prospective celebrities have thought about it very carefully. The main difference is that we don’t have tens of thousands of celebrities applying to take part!

How far are you casting the net – in terms of nationalities or professions?

We always aim to create as diverse a cast as possible and, as has been the case in the past, we don’t stop at UK celebrities… but you’ll have to wait and see who gets out of the car on launch night.

How much information do you give the celebrities about the show? Some, like Jackie Stallone, can seem a little ‘confused’ about the Big Brother rules.

The celebrity housemates are provided with a full set of Big Brother rules well in advance of entering the house. Any confusion would only arise if they didn’t read them!

Do you think the celebrities you're talking to are getting wise to the Big Brother game and will really play along?

The viewers are always very astute – they don’t let housemates get away with not playing the game or being themselves. Also, after seven series of the summer version, Big Brother still finds ways to surprise and shock the housemates. Celebrities are no different…

How do you keep the housemates’ identities secret before they go in?

Only a select group of people know the identities of the celebrity housemates and the housemates themselves are asked to keep it secret.

Chantelle as a non-celebrity housemate was a fantastic twist last year. How are you going to top it?

That would be telling…