[Amy]

NAKED lawnmowing, mud wrestling and pole dancing were just some of the more outrageous antics last year's Big Brother housemates got up to.

But can the sixth series be more shocking? Time to find out as we wave goodbye to our summer social lives, Velcro ourselves to the sofa and check out the best reality show on the box.

"There will be lots of new surprises in store and the house has been totally redesigned, so this series will feel distinctive from the off," says executive producer Sharon Powers.

"The house is still as small as BB5, though the feel of it will be completely different. For the housemates it will be uncomfortable and claustrophobic."

Producers were inundated at auditions with wannabe housemates for the latest series, and they won't have a clue what to expect.

Of course, some things stay the same - none more so than Friday night eviction host Davina McCall. Talk of handing over the Big Brother torch to anyone else fills her with horror.

"They'd have to cut off my right arm and prise the torch forcefully from my hand before I'd give it to anyone," she says.

Like everyone, Davina, 37, has her favourite moments - she especially liked last year's winner, Nadia Almada.

"I loved it every time Nadia got angry," she says. "I know that's an awful thing to say but she was so fiery and passionate and Mediterranean. I love somebody who just says, 'I am who I am, take it or leave it.

"I don't mind if you see me angry or crying'."

She also enjoys seeing the variety of housemates - over the years there's been a lesbian ex-nun, a table dancer and a Scottish virgin.

"Who would have thought that Cameron would win it one year and the next year, a transsexual female would win?" says Davina.

"It's not as if there's a theme developing. We're just going for the person we love the most. That's what I love about the Brits - it doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, what you represent, what you've done. If we love you, we love you!"

So what can we expect from the new show? "I couldn't believe what they've come up with," says Davina, without divulging any details.

"They keep producing these brilliant ideas from nowhere. Honestly, this year's show is going to be brilliant."

This year will also see the return of Dermot O'Leary's fanzine programme Big Brother's Little Brother.

"We're quite cheeky, which I think people like," says Dermot. "BBLB's never been 100% subservient to the main show. Out of all the reality shows, Big Brother is the most honest.

"People who are going into the house know exactly what to expect. I would imagine people have gone in and said that their lives have changed for the better."

•Big Brother is on Channel 4 from Friday May 27.

Article Evening Times