[LEE]

BIG BROTHER CONFIRMS HOUSEMATE SWAP BETWEEN UK AND AFRICA:
CAMERON IS GOING TO THE AFRICAN BIG BROTHER HOUSE


Big Brother UK and Big Brother Africa can now confirm that they are to swap a housemate from each house as part of an exciting individual challenge. Cameron from the UK will now spend a few days in the African Big Brother house while a housemate from Africa will stay in the Hertfordshire house here. Both housemates will enter their new homes on Monday 23 June.

This morning at 09.12am, Big Brother announced to the house that the weekly task would not be set until Monday. Big Brother revealed that, instead, one housemate would be given an individual challenge today. Big Brother explained that one housemate would be called to the diary room about it within the hour.

At 9.59am, Big Brother asked for a housemate to come to the diary room. Cameron responded and Big Brother then offered him the unique opportunity to act as an Ambassador for the British Big Brother series and to deliver a message to the African Big Brother house. This challenge was optional but a surprised Cameron soon accepted, saying, “I’m totally excited, flipping heck, I’m shaking!”

Cameron will travel to the Big Brother Africa house, which is based in South Africa. This house will be his home for several days. The African version of Big Brother is broadcast across the continent and the house is occupied by twelve housemates, all from different African countries. Cameron will be living with female housemates Abergail from South Africa; Bruna from Angola; Cherise from Zambia; Tapuwa from Zimbabwe and Warona from Botswana; and male housemates Alexander from Kenya; Bayo from Nigeria; Gaetano from Uganda; Mwisho from Tanzania; Samuel from Ghana; Stefan from Namibia and Zein from Malawi. He will, of course, not meet one of them, as they will be residing in the British Big Brother house at the same time.

The Big Brother Africa house is based in Randburg, South Africa. Big Brother Africa began on Sunday 25 May (two days after Big Brother Series 4 began in the UK) and runs for 106 days.

At this stage, the remaining housemates from both Big Brother compounds are unaware that a housemate from abroad will be coming to live with them. They have also not been told of the whereabouts of their fellow contestant. With only a short time to pack his belongings, Cameron will leave the house at approximately 11.15am today.

Both housemates will be entering their new temporary homes on Monday 23 June.
In exchange for living in another Big Brother house, Cameron will be given a two-week amnesty from being nominated. However, Cameron will still be able to cast his own nominations in the UK Big Brother house via proxy. Both housemates involved in the swap will be allowed to tell their new friends about life in another Big Brother house. The swapped housemates will have to abide by the Big Brother rules of their hosts.

A special documentary telling the full story behind the swap will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Saturday 28 June at 9.30pm. Channel 4 viewers will also be able to see the British housemates’ reaction to their new African housemate every night at 10.00pm. Viewers will be able to follow Cameron’s progress in Africa by watching special editions of the African Big Brother show on E4 from Tuesday to Friday at 9.30pm. Big Brother’s Little Brother will also feature all the latest news from the African Big Brother house, every weekday teatime on Channel 4.

Viewers will be able to watch the African housemate enter the UK house live on E4 on Monday morning. Channel 4 viewers will be able to see this moment on Big Brother’s Little Brother on Monday at 6pm. Channel 4’s 10pm show on Monday 23 June will feature Cameron being offered the chance to swap.

Both housemates will be allowed to return to their original Big Brother home and will be permitted to tell the housemates back home about their adventure. They will still be eligible to become the winner of Big Brother and receive the prize money.

How will Cameron, from the Orkney Islands, cope with the challenge of living over five thousand miles away from home in a different continent with a group of strangers from a different culture? Is this Big Brother’s toughest challenge yet?

The identity of the African housemate who will visit the UK house will be announced later today.