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Last Years Press Pack
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BIG BROTHER 9
PRESS PACK
THIS PRESS PACK IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01AM TUESDAY 27TH MAY, 2008
CONTENTS:
Introduction 2
Interview with presenter Davina McCall 3
Interview with BBLB hosts George Lamb and Zezi Ifore 6
Programming Information 9
The New Big Brother House 11
The Big Brother Rules 12
Food, Housekeeping & Tasks 13
Evictions & Leaving the House 13
Big Brother – online, on radio, on mobile 14
Big Brother: The Auditions on E4 15
Big Brother Around the World 18
Virgin Mobile Sponsors Big Brother 9 20
Sponsored By
BIG BROTHER IS BACK
Starts Thursday 5th June, 9pm on Channel 4
The wait is nearly over – Big Brother is back, and a new bunch of housemates are about to begin the biggest game show of them all. From the moment they are revealed to the public on Thursday 5th June, their every move will be captured by cameras as they become the newest inhabitants of the most famous house in Britain.
Davina McCall returns to present the launch show and eviction shows direct from the house, and George Lamb and Zezi Ifore will take over the spin-off show Big Brother’s Little Brother. Big Brother’s Big Mouth will be home to many big mouths as they take on the presenting role each week, with every aspect of Big Brother hotly debated by the studio audience.
So what does Big Brother have in store for this year? The sun might be shining but Big Brother 9 will be no summer holiday. If housemates think they can idle away the summer in the garden, they will be sorely mistaken. If they think they can break the rules and get away with it, they’re going to learn there are consequences. After all, this is a game show – only one can win, and they’ll have to play hard to win. But they should never forget that Big Brother is in charge, and that their fate lies in the hands of the real power brokers in this game – the viewers.
David Williams, C4 Editor for Big Brother says: “It wouldn’t be summer without the big daddy of all reality shows and this year looks set to be more gripping than ever. There’s a brand new house, Davina is back to grill the evictees on Friday nights, George and Zezi are joining BBLB, and a brand new group of housemates are ready to walk through that door and into our lives”.
Sharon Powers, Creative Director of Big Brother says: “We’ve got a really exciting group of housemates ready to go into the Big Brother house. But they need to remember that the Big Brother rules are there for a reason – Big Brother will not tolerate rule breaks and will be tougher than ever on housemates. It’s going to be really exciting to see how they rise to the challenge of life in the house. For the housemates, and the viewers, it’s going to be a summer to remember.”
Soon a new group of housemates will enter the public consciousness. Let the games begin…
Big Brother is produced by Brighter Pictures (an Endemol company) for Channel 4 and E4.
The official sponsor of Big Brother is Virgin Media.
For all press enquiries contact:
Big Brother Press Hotline: 020 7306 6900 (from 27 May 2008)
Email: bigbrotherpress@channel4.co.uk
For picture enquiries contact:
Channel 4 Picture Publicity: 020 7306 8685
Website: www.channel4.com/bigbrother
DAVINA McCALL INTERVIEW
If all or part of this interview is used it must contain the following credit:
‘Big Brother, C4 & E4’
In a photographic studio in North London, a rail-full of gorgeous, next-season dresses are hanging, and the soundtrack is a series of screams and squeals, and ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. The excitable model in question is Big Brother queen bee Davina McCall who is like a kid in a candy store, trying on dress after dress to find not only something to wear for today’s official Big Brother photoshoot, but for the all-important ensemble for the launch night of this year’s series. What she’s wearing on the live programmes is as much of a conversation point as which housemates are up for eviction, so getting the perfect outfit each week is crucial.
And if anyone needed proof that her exercise videos actually work, the mother-of-three is in incredible shape – her slim frame making every dress a possible contender for launch night. She’s fit and ready for Big Brother in every other sense too. With the traditional Celebrity Big Brother format taking a break this year, Davina’s not been onscreen presenting BB since last year. But now she’s back, energised and ready for action – channelling Katie Holmes’s fashion sense, hoping for another winner as good as Brian, and contemplating a nipple piercing…
Wow, look at all these clothes. It’s like a dress-up box for grown-ups in here.
I’m quite lucky now because I’ve got a stylist called AJ (Knight) who I’ve been working with for five years and AJ’s been through two pregnancies with me and post-pregnancy bodies, so dealing with all of that she really knows me and my body. She’s my Gok Wan. She knows me inside out, back to front. She’s absolutely awesome at picking out clothes for me, so today I turn up, I’ve not done one iota of shopping and she’s got two rails of clothing that I just love. My favourite style icon of the moment would be Katie Holmes I think, I love what she’s wearing so I sort of said to AJ, think Katie Holmes, channel Katie Holmes.
Without the scientology….
Yes, very much without the scientology.
So with the change of format of the January Big Brother, it feels like ages since we’ve seen you on screen for BB. Welcome back!
Thanks, I’m back. It’s bloody good to be back – brace yourselves!
So are you all ready to get back into it?
It feels quite fresh I suppose because I haven’t been on Big Brother for a while, so for me it feels like renewed vim and vigour. All I know is that I consistently meet people who are Big Brother obsessed, as I am, and what I love is the lead up for them. I was working on a job yesterday where the make-up ladies were about to spontaneously combust when I was talking about it starting again and they were so excited, they were going “It’s not shorter is it? It’s not is it?” And I said “It’s not shorter” and they were like “yaaay!” I was so happy that they were so happy.
Some people fail to see that it’s an entertainment programme and it’s not trying to be anything other than that. It’s supposed to be fun and silly and a bit raucous. People don’t ask Ant and Dec why they present Saturday Night Takeaway or I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here. They’re entertainment. It’s just as silly and they do naughty things. It’s just a programme.
Is it going to be strange for you without Dermot around on Little Brother this year?
God, no Dermot, no Russell. Russell obviously left a couple of years ago and now Dermot this year. I think as long as the new Little Brother presenters (George Lamb and Zezi Ifore) love that programme and love Big Brother then I think it’ll be great. Dermot was unique in that programme, but I think Dermot also grew into it, and I think we have to let George and Zezi have a few weeks to grow into it and make it their own.
Do you find it funny that Russell’s now a film star?
Oh god, I love it! I spoke to Russell two days ago and we were just laughing about it. It’s amazing. He’s gone global. I love it, so proud of him. He’s come a really, really long way. Brace yourselves America!
How do you feel when people look like they’re going to be one thing in the launch night video, then turn out to be something else once they are in the house? Last year, Carole went in saying “I am gonna shake it something rotten and they will be shaking s***less. If people want an argument, here’s the *******ing argument!” then it felt like she just cleaned the house for 13 weeks.
I thought Carole was actually the catalyst for a lot of stuff going on in there. So even though she didn’t give everybody a fight, we had enough of that going on with Charley. I think the one who really was different from her video was Bonnie (BB7) – she was a mouse. She totally lost her voice in the house I think, and I thought she was going to be outrageous. So yes, it’s frustrating when somebody doesn’t, but they always counteract it in some other way, some other trait of theirs will come into play. Like Carole with her manic cleaning – that was kind of annoying and important to the house, and became the topic of many a conversation or argument so it was quite interesting.
What were some of your favourite moments from last year?
God, Ziggy coming into the house was amazing! The break-up (Chanelle and Ziggy) was amazing. Charley…. well, just Charley. For me a little bit of interest was between Charley and Ziggy who I thought had real chemistry and I thought if he hadn’t got together with Chanelle…. there was something between them I thought. And Brian and Amanda. I love a love story and I thought Brian and Amanda were so beautiful.
But they’ve sadly broken up now…
That’s alright, that’s what happens when you’re young! You get together for a bit and then you split up but at least he got his princess. And I think with unrequited love, god watching it is like watching a Shakespeare play unfold. Not having someone love you back, Brian crying, then Brian the biggest Big Brother fan ever, winning!
Do you watch/read about what they do after they come out of the house? The falling out of nightclubs, or in the case of Chanelle a publicity-stunt “sex tape”?
Not really. But I think that somebody like Cameron – I loved Cameron Stout and I though he was such a worthy winner and he really made me laugh and I think the real people always win in the end – that Cameron did it right. He had a job before he went in, he took some time off, he had a brilliant time, had a fantastic experience and then went back to his job and that’s the way to do it. I mean Big Brother is the experience of a lifetime, it can be really, really good fun and you can make friends in there that you will keep forever but you mustn’t think of it as a stepping stone to anything. I think the people who haven’t thought of it as a stepping stone to fame and fortune have done really well out of it.
Big Brother and pregnancies go hand in hand for you – anything to declare this summer?
No. More. Babies!
What would you do if your children said they wanted to be in Big Brother or a similar reality show?
I would like to think that whatever my children choose to do I’d just go “brilliant! Go and do the best job you possibly can” and then be there to pick up the pieces if it all goes horribly wrong, because you have to learn your own lessons. However, in 15 years when Holly’s about to go off and appear in some reality TV show I’ll probably be tearing my hair out. But then I’m sure Amanda and Sam’s mum was really worried because they were such innocent girls and so sweet, and she was probably thinking “they are going to go in that house, and it’s going to be horrible and the press will be vile” but look how great they did! As a parent, your children may just surprise you, and you may just be very, very proud of them. Brian’s mum must be so proud of him, he was such a lovely winner.
So have you decided yet on an outfit for launch night?
Not decided yet, but I’m so excited about launch night. I’m also excited about stupid things like how are the housemates going to come out? Are they going to be on a top floor coming out above the audience? Will they walk down stairs? Is the house going to be bigger? Is the house going to be smaller? Are they going to have a pool? All of these things I know nothing about and those are the things I want to know about it.
Would you want to know these secrets beforehand?
Definitely not. I only like to know about that stuff about a week before but I obviously need to know the housemates beforehand because I need to know all their names. But I am quite crap at keeping secrets, I can keep one for about a day.
In that case, go on and tell us a secret then. It can be non-Big Brother related.
Ooh. OK, I nearly got my nipple pierced yesterday.
Eww! What stopped you?
The idea that my husband would be so mortified. I was going to have a bar through with baubles at the end and imagine you got a diamond at either end of the little bar. So all you could see on either side was a little diamond.
Hmm, maybe that’s not so bad…
See! Yeah, it could be cute! I think this is probably part of my mid-life crisis, thinking I must get a piercing. But then I just thought my husband wouldn’t like it, so in the end I didn’t do it. But it would have been cute!
INTERVIEW WITH NEW BIG BROTHER’S LITTLE BROTHER PRESENTERS GEORGE LAMB AND ZEZI IFORE
If all or part of this interview is used it must contain the following credit:
‘Big Brother, C4 & E4’
As the loveable younger sibling to Big Brother, BBLB has become an institution in itself – a cheeky, mischief-making show for the fans who love to know the ins and out of the most famous house in Britain.
But with the departure of host Dermot O’Leary, a position opened up for some new blood to step up and take the reigns. And it’s not one but two presenters who are poised to take over this summer: step forward the all-new Little Brother and Little Sister double act, George Lamb and Zezi Ifore.
George and Zezi are already part of the C4/E4 family, both presenting on E4 Music and daily morning music and entertainment show Freshly Squeezed. George also presents on T4 and has his own weekday show on BBC 6Music. Before Zezi started presenting she was the editor of cult fashion magazine Super Super and worked in music A&R. So what have the two newbies got to bring to the table of BBLB? And will Dermot regret telling them to call him anytime?
Well done on getting the gig you two. Are you excited about taking over BBLB?
Zezi: Extremely so, very excited. One might say ecstatic.
George: Ooof! (then starts talking in third person) George releases audible sounds of excitement and glee… Of course, it’s one of the biggest TV franchises in the history of television and what a wonderful thing to be part of it.
Z: Get him with his soundbite! Soundbite Sam. ‘One of the biggest TV franchises’ – I’m going to learn that one!
Are you nervous about stepping into Dermot’s shoes?
G: Ah, he’s only got little feet.
(laughter and applause from Zezi)
G: We’re actually trying to have a baton passing ceremony with Dermot, he’s been wonderfully supportive for a long time now. I want to go down to a running track and have him actually hand over the baton to us.
Has he given you any words of advice?
G: No, but he said we can call him any time.
Z: He gave us his blessing which was nice.
G: We’re going to put him to the test and ring him every morning at half 5 for the next 13 weeks, to see if he’s true to his word.
Dermot used to do some pretty bizarre things, like last year when he dressed up in a white latex bodysuit, and he has done a lot of silly dancing over the years. What are you going to do to keep the tradition of silliness in the name of BBLB alive?
G: Well obviously we’re going to work within the parameters that it’s a switch-over show to Big Brother, so we can never go too far from it but in order to make it our own show and in order to not mimic what Dermot did – because you’re only going to make a rod for your own back by doing that – we have to take ownership of the show. So I think it’s going to be a different show and I think it’s going to be driven far more by humour and…
Z: Hijinks!
G: Well…. rather than slapstick comedy it might be a little subtler and one would hope a little cooler than before.
Do you know much yet about how it’s going to work then?
G: Yep. I’m not going to dress up in a lot of latex that’s the main thing.
Z: I think it will be more opinionated, that’s what people want to hear. Telling it like it is, keeping it real!
G: I definitely want to hear what I’ve got to say.
Can you tell us about any new segments within the show?
G: Ooh can’t tell you anything about that!
Z: Watch and see.
It goes without saying you’re both big fans of the show?
Z: Of course! I watched it when I was meant to be revising for exams, for many a year. That and Wimbledon. And I passed all my exams!
G: So it just shows, to all the students out there that you can still watch the show and do alright.
Z: It just shows! 6 A*s and 4 As good enough for you? I think so. Thanks Big Bro!
What have been some of your favourite moments from past series?
Z: Obviously Jade and her kebab belly, hilarious. I loved Tania with her copious amounts of blusher, that’s vintage BB but I did love that, the big blusher thing going on. And Nadia, just Nadia, in general. And Makosi, just being Makosi. Oh actually, all time best moment: Aisleyne teaching them how to bogle by the pool. Aisleyne bogling, ghetto-stylee.
G: Generally, if there’s bogling I’m happy.
Z: Let’s get a dancehall queen in the next series that’s what I say.
Following on from that, are there any types of characters you would like to see in the house who perhaps haven’t been represented before?
Z: A dancehall queen!
G: We’ve had a pretty broad spectrum so far, but I’d like some genuinely funny people in the house. I’d love to get proper stand-up comics in there. I think it should be mandatory.
Which stand-ups would you put in then?
G: If I could put anyone in there to really make me laugh? Peter Kay would be great in there.
Z: Ruby Wax!
G: No, funny people!
Z: Liza Tarbuck, let’s get Liza Tarbuck in there.
G: Get Johnny Vaughan in there, he’s funny.
Z: But also some miserable people. Cynics, true sourpusses. I love people who are just miserable. Emos! We’ve not had an emo, I’ve not seen a fringe come down and there’s not enough eyeliner.
G: Or Goths.
Z: Get My Chemical Romance in there!
You’ve both worked on E4 Music and Freshly Squeezed but not actually worked alongside each other before?
G: Never worked together.
Z: But we’ve got plenty of time to make up for those lost years.
So you’re not familiar with each other’s style?
G: Yeah she always looks good.
Z: George always looks good. George always looks really healthy – and like a dandy. So we’re stepping up some serious fashion looks this year. In fact, sod the studio audience, I just want a catwalk!
G: Three outfit changes a show would be good.
Tell us something about yourselves that viewers wouldn’t already know about you
G: I could almost speak fluent Spanish about two years ago.
What happened?
G: I split up with a girl and stopped practising.
Z: I speak French and Italian. And I love Pat Benatar. And I love Meatloaf.
George, you used to manage Lily Allen. When was this and why switch from behind the scenes to in front of the camera yourself?
G: I managed her for two years (2003/4) while I was managing another band called Audio Bullys and unfortunately all the A&R men in London seemed to be deaf for the six months we were hawking around eight of the 11 tracks that were on that record, Smile included. After about the tenth knock back we said this isn’t really working and a friend of mine who runs Remedy Productions asked if I’d like to come in and have a bash at presenting so I went and did that. My friend Adrian then managed Lily and they put the stuff on myspace and it went from there.
Z: I was in A&R too…
Yes, you’ve got a strong music background as well….
Z: Yes, and I DJ too. Sometimes by myself and sometimes with Grimmy (fellow presenter Nick Grimshaw).
Are we going to see any of your DJ skills on BBLB?
Z: Yeah maybe. Maybe we’ll get some tunes in, some old time big bangers. We can have a rave-up, maybe on the Sunday show have a two-minute rave. We can make up songs, I love making up songs. Me on the xylophone or the ukulele. Me and Grimmy have a number 1 hit in the offing. It’s about biscuits.
George: I’ll manage you. Oh, actually, maybe that’s not such a good idea….
(both laugh)
George, your dad (Larry Lamb, most recently seen as Mick in Gavin & Stacey) is having a bit of a moment, that’s pretty cool….
G: The coolest. He’s having a bit of a renaissance. He’s going to be in EastEnders in the summer, and he was in Gavin & Stacey. He kind of had his 15 minutes when I was a boy. When I was little he used to be properly famous, and then he went to not properly famous. But it’s alright, he’s back in the game! (cheers all round). It’s lovely, really nice.
Did you grow up on television sets then?
G: All the time. I spent my life flying to wherever he was. I was the number one British Midland fly-on-your-own kid. What are they called?
Z: Billy no mates?!
G: Where you get a woman holding your hand, and crayons and everything.
Z: Aw, he’s from good stock George is.
Finally, can you sum up in three words what you want the all-new BBLB to be?
Z: Zezi and George!
G: Yep, there you go!
PROGRAMMING INFORMATION
Fans can stay glued to events in the Big Brother house throughout the summer in a variety of ways. The line-up of programmes includes:
• A C4 launch show hosted by Davina McCall, which sees the housemates entering the house.
• An hour-long show with highlights of the previous 24 hours in the house every night of the week on C4
• Live eviction programmes presented by Davina McCall on C4.
• Big Brother’s Little Brother on E4 Monday –Friday, and on T4 each Sunday, hosted by George Lamb and Zezi Ifore.
• Big Brother’s Big Mouth – Tuesday to Friday nights on E4with a new guest host each week
• Late-night streaming live from the house, plus red button streaming
• Diary Room Uncut – weekends on E4
Big Brother Launch Show
Davina McCall presents direct from the Big Brother studios where a new group of housemates will enter the Big Brother house for the very first time. Viewers will see the new housemates as they share their very first moments together and settle in for what could be the most unpredictable few weeks – or even months – of their lives.
Big Brother
The hour-long programmes every night will feature all the action from the previous 24 hours in the house, including tasks and nominations.
Live Eviction Shows
Davina McCall will announce the result of the viewers’ vote and the evicted housemate will exit the house live on the show. They’ll then join Davina for their first interview, revealing all about their Big Brother experience.
Big Brother’s Little Brother
BBLB gets two new presenters this summer with George Lamb and Zezi Ifore taking the reigns of the ultimate Big Brother fanzine show, delivering all the latest news, views and access to all areas of the house. George and Zezi will deliver their own unique insight into the latest shenanigans live from the Big Brother nerve centre, and fans can catch insider scoops on upcoming twists and the very first in-depth interviews with evicted housemates on their return to the outside world. They will be joined by celebrity guests plus friends and family of this year’s housemates. BBLB is on E4 Monday – Friday, and T4 on Sundays
Big Brother’s Big Mouth
Broadcast live in the shadow of the Big Brother house straight after the nightly Channel 4 show, E4’s Big Brother’s Big Mouth is an adrenaline-fuelled and instantly reactive discussion show for the most passionate Big Brother fans to voice their opinions. In front of a live and up-for-it studio audience, a handpicked line-up of special guest presenters will preside over the debate. All the latest events from the house will be discussed, dissected and digested by the audience of obsessive BB fans, plus special guest experts, journalists and celebrities. Viewers at home can get involved by ringing in live to the studio, or emailing or texting their opinions. On E4, Tuesday to Friday.
Big Brother Live
Channel 4 viewers will have a chance to watch late-night streaming broadcast live and direct from the house every night. Streaming is also available through E4’s Red Button service.
Big Brother Diary Room Uncut
On Saturday and Sunday nights, E4 viewers can eavesdrop on housemates in the most secret and revealing room in the house. In the infamous diary room chair, the housemates can grumble, gossip, cry and connive without anyone else in the house hearing or seeing them. Viewers get an extended look at what the housemates disclose 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.
REVEALE THE NEW BIG BROTHER HOUSE
A dormitory-style bedroom and a super-bling bathroom – it’s a confusing world the
Big Brother 9 housemates are soon to be entering. They might think they’ve hit the jackpot with the Donald Trump meets P Diddy bathroom with its sumptuous gold and blue décor, but they’re not necessarily going to be sleeping in the lap of luxury.
This year’s brand new Big Brother house is the biggest ever. Once the housemates walk down the new entrance steps, they’ll encounter a large carpeted living area filled with comfortable sofas and plush coverings, mixed with angular light-boxes and of course, the large dining room table.
The separate kitchen area is ultra modern with a triangular central island and stainless steel and wood bench tops. A red theme runs throughout the kitchen with red and orange crockery, red walls and red and silver appliances.
The new bathroom is a souped-up sanctuary. A huge bath, complete with an ostentatious “swan” tap will be the ultimate retreat for housemates. Surrounded by flowers, greenery, gold statues, plus aquamarine blue velvet sofas, housemates will be able to relax and chill out in this extravagant area.
But there’s only so much a relaxing bath before bedtime can do when housemates have to sleep in ultra-basic beds. With the kind of scratchy thin blankets more associated with budget camping holidays, and far-from-comfortable mattresses, it could be very difficult for some to get a good night’s sleep. Adding to the dormitory atmosphere are “locker” walls and drawers more associated with school corridors than the Big Brother house. But what can it all mean?
At least the garden offers a touch more comfort with a central swimming pool, and more plants, flowers and greenery than ever before. Lounge chairs and armchairs make the garden the perfect place to gossip, and for those wanting a more private gossip there’s even an enclosed seating area. For the smokers of the house, there’s a surreal, Alice in Wonderland-proportioned giant “ashtray” for smokers to sit in.
It’s going to be very different from what the housemates have known before or are every likely to live in again. Home sweet home? Maybe. Or maybe not.
THE BIG BROTHER RULES
Housemates must abide by a strict set of rules during their stay in the house. Any infringement of these rules will be addressed and acted upon by Big Brother. Rules include:
• 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 must get up when they hear the alarm.
• 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, 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. Many of the items they are permitted to bring in are at the discretion of Big Brother, and all bags will be checked prior to entering the house and inventories of their contents compiled.
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 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, Big Brother reserves the right to expel them from the house. Prior to entering the Big Brother house, the housemates are not allowed to talk to the media. Nor are they are permitted to know the identities of their fellow housemates.
FOOD, HOUSEKEEPING & TASKS
Food and drink in the house are supplied only by Big Brother. The housemates will participate in compulsory tasks to determine their shopping budget. In addition, the housemates will also be set challenges, playing for the chance to win special rewards.
EVICTIONS & LEAVING THE HOUSE
Housemates 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 will be asked to leave by Big Brother. At the end of the series viewers will then vote for the winner.
The Eviction Process
Housemates are required to participate in the much anticipated, and often equally dreaded, nominations process 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 by Big Brother. Housemates are not allowed to discuss their nominations with each other or to try to influence anyone else’s nominations.
The Diary Room nominations will be announced to housemates at a time chosen by Big Brother and will be included in the Channel 4 highlights show the following evening. Viewers will be able to watch Big Brother announce the results of each week’s nominations live on Big Brother’s Little Brother. The housemates who receive the most nominations are then subject to the public vote.
Viewers and housemates will later learn 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. Big Brother reserves the right to change the frequency, times and details of nominations and evictions at any time.
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. Housemates who leave voluntarily, or who have been asked to leave, may be replaced at Big Brother’s discretion.
BIG BROTHER WEBSITE
The Big Brother website has had a makeover, and is all new, shiny, and packed full of the latest videos, news and images from the Big Brother house.
The revamped site, at www.channel4.com/bigbrother, will go live on 5th June in readiness for launch night.
It will be home to a host of new, big names writing blogs, including the Big Brother presenters, celebrities, critics, psychologists and other Big Brother favourites.
Visitors to the site can take part in quizzes, daily polls, games, view picture galleries, get free downloads, and of course watch the latest videos of all the house action. Plus there will be details of how to join up to all the Big Brother social network groups, and bigger and better housemate profiles than ever before.
Plus this year, everyone gets to voice their opinion on what’s happening in the house. A “Your Say” section after each news story means users can react to the house action just after it happens.
And over on E4.com is a new online show. Tom Thurlow will be going around the country asking people on the street for their opinions on Big Brother. The E4 site will include Tom’s schedule so viewers can turn up wherever he is and voice their opinions.
With all this and much more, there really is no excuse to miss out on any of the Big Brother gossip this summer.
BIG EARS – THE BIG BROTHER RADIO SHOW
New to the Big Brother family is Big Ears, the official Big Brother radio show. Hosted by Iain Lee and Gemma Cairney, Big Ears will go out twice a week on the channel4.com/bigbrother site. It’s the ultimate phone-in show, covering all the house and housemate action, and giving listeners the chance to voice their opinions on air. Join the debate by logging on to www.channel4.com/bigbrother, plus the show will be available to download from itunes.
BIG BROTHER ON MOBILE
Big Brother will also have a mobile site on Channel 4 mobile where users can keep up to date with all the latest goings on in the house wherever they are. As well as the latest news, there will be video clips, voice tones, wallpaper, and quizzes, plus and an area to leave comments about the show, the housemates and other BB topics. There will also be clips of the best bits from Big Ears, the radio show, and a chance for users to personalise the site for their mobile by choosing their favourite housemate. The Big Brother mobile site will be available through the C4 mobile site – to get to the C4 mobile site text MOBILE to 83188.
Big Brother: The Auditions
Who will make it into the House on Launch Night?*
E4, 10pm, Sunday 01 & Tuesday 03 June, 2008
Over three months, thousands of hopefuls turned out to gain a place in the toughest game show on TV. Travelling to more cities than ever, Big Brother: The Auditions provides an exclusive look behind the scenes at this year’s nationwide audition tour.
Revealed here are some exclusive snaps of those who impressed during the audition process as Big Brother took to the road in search of the next bunch of housemates to enter the Big Brother house.**
We lift the lid on the selection process, as the Big Brother producers travel across the UK and Ireland hunting for housemates, with the help of some former familiar faces to help spot the hopefuls from the hopeless.
Former housemate Nikki Grahame turns the airwaves blue as she appears on live radio in Manchester publicising the auditions. And fellow ex housemate Charley finally meets her match when she clashes with one of the hopefuls at the London auditions. For some hopefuls will it be a case of Big Brother fame running in the family?
For those who make it through to the second day of the open audition process, hopefuls still in the race to become a housemate face their biggest test so far….a Diary Room with Big Brother. And for some of the winning wannabes still in the running, the Big Brother cameras follow them home after their auditions and to find out what makes them top contenders for a coveted place in the house.
Scroll down for picture captions. If you would like to use any of these images in your feature please contact Charles Fearn on 020 7306 8516 or Louise Ellwood on 0207306 8685
Top row L-R: The sign to queue but who will make it through: Blonde ambition: Cors’ I Got
Second Row L-R: Dancing Queen: Glam Shelley (BB7’s Grace cousin): BB5’s Michelle Bass’ hopeful
Third Row L-R: Rooney’s relations Steve & Natalie: Rapper Wonder: I will rule the world one day in BB, maybe?
Fourth Row L-R: Working the camera?: Smiles better than the rest?: Spaceman
Fifth Row L-R: Wrestling to make the grade?: Stripe me down, your in?: The Wizard
(*As everyone knows Big Brother never confirms nor denies but you’ll be able to watch the hopefuls on E4 in Big Brother: The Auditions 10pm Sunday 1 & Tuesday 3 June and then tune in to watch the big reveal on C4, Big Brother: Launch Night, 9pm)
(** See above *)
BIG BROTHER AROUND THE WORLD
Each summer, UK Big Brother fans eagerly tune in to Channel 4 and E4 to see what’s happening in the house in Elstree. But the UK Big Brother is just one of many, many versions of the programme around the world. You might think the antics of British housemates are weird, funny or risqué but the overseas houses have more than their fair share of intrigue, odd behaviour and tough-talking Big Brothers.
Here are some of best bits from the wonderful world of BB around the globe:
• The very first Big Brother began in the Netherlands on September 16 1999. By the final night, New Year’s Eve, the show had become the most watched programme of the year and the participants had become overnight celebrities.
• Big Brother 5 in Germany was the first year-long Big Brother.
• On the same day that this year-long series ended, Big Brother: The Village began. Big Brother: Das Dorf lasted two years and was originally intended to have an indefinite run, with its residents housed in an entire village instead of just one house.
• Big Mother was introduced into the fourth series of the Greek Big Brother when housemates took part in the game with their mothers with whom they had to co-exist during the contest.
• In Holland’s first series the show’s producers invited, Marco Borsato, a famous Dutch singer, to ‘hover’ over the house and sing for the group. In reality, Marco was carried over the wall and put on a podium box held by a crane.
• The Norwegian house is built in an old airport.
• Wednesdays in the Polish house are gambling nights. Not only do these live shows include darts and roulette but other activities include eating a bottle of ketchup in record time, shaving heads and body piercing.
• In the first series of the Polish show Big Brother provoked a mutiny by the smokers in the house for refusing to supply any more cigarettes. As punishment Big Brother set a small fire in the compound. The only non-smoker in the house, 45-year-old Janusz Dzieciol, was the only housemate to get up and put it out. As reward for his good behaviour, Big Brother offered Janusz a personal phone call or a supply of cigarettes for the house. He went with the cigarettes and, out of gratitude, was never put forward for eviction by his fellow housemates. He went on to win the series.
• Also from the first Polish series, housemate Sebastian Florek stood for election three months after leaving the show and was duly elected as a Labor Union deputy to the Polish Parliament. Florek has since developed a reputation as a feminist since he started fighting for free contraception in the largely Catholic country.
• A couple in the Portuguese Big Brother fell in love and decided to get married during the show. After getting approval from her family they married in front of the house during a four-hour live show. Denmark also had a real wedding inside the house which was also broadcast live.
• South Africa’s Big Brother featured a body piercer and a hairdresser to give candidates a new look if they chose.
• Series 2 of the Spanish show got housemates working for their luxuries – all the furniture was dismantled, and housemates had to assemble it the first night they arrived in the house. They were also treated to a small box that was installed in the middle of the living room. Every day the housemates had a few minutes to try and open the box which contained a surprise.
• The cruellest and most unusual punishments ever to be inflicted in Big Brother history was in the sixth Spanish series. Between them, seven contestants had just five days to memorise the contents of the proposed European Constitution. Housemates had to then relay the 325 page document to a non-Spanish speaking Polish woman.
• The Big Brother house in Switzerland is situated in the mountains.
• Housemates were severely tested in the fourth series of the US Big Brother when 10 of the 13 participants found themselves face to face with one of their ex-partners.
• Several countries have included twins, and in some cases triplets, in their shows, without warning other housemates. At first, twins would constantly swap places until the trick was revealed or someone figured it out.
• Cherise Makubale from Zambia, winner of pan-African Big Brother received a congratulatory message from President Levy Mwanawasa for her exemplary and encouraging conduct, including sweeping and cooking in the house – exactly what a ‘Zambian woman must do’.
• In series 3 of the Argentinean Big Brother housemates were deliberately chosen purely based on their looks. The housemates included a man whose entire family had been murdered and an ex-prostitute who went on to become the winner.
• In this same series, all tasks were charity related, including getting housemates to build beds for orphanages.
• The Australian Big Brother house is located in a family amusement park.
• One evictee of the Australian house brought controversy to the programme by refusing to speak to the show’s presenter in protest against the mandatory imprisonment of refugees in Australia. Instead Merlin Luck taped his mouth shut and held up a banner that read ‘Free Th Refugees’ (the ‘e’ had fallen off) which he’d made prior to entering the house.
VIRGIN MOBILE SPONSORS BIG BROTHER 9
Virgin Mobile has announced it will sponsor Channel 4’s biggest event of the summer, Big Brother 9.
Following the success of its involvement in Big Brother 8 and Big Brother Celebrity Hijack earlier this year, Virgin Mobile will be the lead sponsor for the second year running. New sponsorship idents are being created for the new series, primarily featuring Virgin Mobile, but also other Virgin Media services.
James Kydd, managing director of marketing and brand for Virgin Media said: "Big Brother is a ratings powerhouse, it is a perfect fit with the Virgin Mobile brand, and the audience it delivers includes many of our customers and staff.
Big Brother is still the biggest reality TV phenomenon on the box and 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."
Now in its ninth year, Big Brother has withstood the test of time and due to its ground-breaking content, is still hugely popular with viewers UK-wide. In 2007, the show reached more than 80 pc of 18-34 year olds (a total of 11.5 million 16-34s) and in general averaged around 4 million viewers per show. Out of the top 20 highest rating shows over the summer last year for 16-34’s, nine of these shows were Big Brother episodes.
“Big Brother is still immensely popular and resonates with the youth and popular culture in general today. We’re looking forward to meeting the housemates and seeing what Big Brother has in store for them soon,” said James Kydd.
David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, added, “We’re delighted to have Virgin back on board for BB9. Virgin Media are perfectly suited as they offer multi-platform opportunities that help satisfy consumers' insatiable appetite for all things Big Brother."
For press enquiries contact:
Jackie Antas, Borkowski (0207 404 3000)
jackie@borkowski.co.uk
Simon Dornan, Virgin Mobile (0207 484 4323)
simon.dornan@virginmobile.com
Becky Mew, Channel 4 (0207 306 3751)
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Virgin Mobile
Launched in 1999, Virgin Mobile is the UK’s largest mobile virtual network operator and uses T-Mobile's network and now employs over 1,700 staff. With 4 million customers, Virgin Mobile is part of Virgin Media and the group is the first to be able to offer ‘quadruple play’ to customers: mobile and fixed line telephony, broadband internet and television.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600, online at virginmobile.co.uk or on the high street at approximately 5,000 outlets.
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25-05-2009, 10:01 PM
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