[James]

Applicants for BB8 to be able to upload their audition videos to E4.com.

Public to rate potential housemates.

Website to become social-networking site.

Big Brother auditions go online

Applicants for the next series of Big Brother will be able to upload their audition videos to the internet, says Channel 4.

The broadcaster is to launch a special website for the clips, allowing the public to rate potential housemates.

Producers say that at least one user will become a contestant on the reality show's eighth series next year.

About 7.7m people watched 24-year-old Pete Bennett win this year's contest, taking home a £100,000 prize.

Prospective housemates will be able to upload their audition videos to E4.com when it relaunches early next year.

Personal pages

The website will be redesigned as a social networking site, such as MySpace, Bebo, Facebook and Friendster.

Registered users will be able to their own web pages where they can chat to other users, upload their own content and rate clips and submissions from other users.

Channel 4 hopes the website will make younger viewers of the E4 entertainment channel more loyal.

It is not the first time the broadcaster has explored different methods for finding housemates for the reality series.

One of this year's contestants, 43-year-old model Susie Verrico, was chosen after finding one of a number of golden tickets hidden inside chocolate bars.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6174448.stm