[LEE]

AN INTERVIEW WITH BIG BROTHER’S EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Big Brother is back on Channel 4 and E4 for the fourth year running and once again promises to be the TV event of the summer. Every year sees new faces, new personalities and new stories emerge, and this year will be no different. But unbeknown to viewers, there will be some old hands involved in the process – albeit behind the scenes. For example Executive Producer Gigi Eligoloff, who has worked on every one of the Big Brothers since its inception.

“It’s funny, when you say you work on Big Brother, people ask you what you do for the rest of the year, but it’s a full time job. We started planning for this year’s Big Brother back in October, and haven’t stopped since. We had to decide what sort of show we wanted to make, in terms of the tone and direction, before we could even start to advertise for applications. Then we had to make the trailers to encourage people to apply. And that was before we even started sorting through the videos.”

Ah yes, the applicants’ videos. They get quite a few. Over 10,000 this year, in fact, every single one with a detailed application form. And every one is watched in full, and every application form is read from beginning to end. Suddenly, starting preparations in October doesn’t seem like such a bad plan.

“After watching the videos, everyone’s graded,” Gigi explains. “Those who rate the highest are invited to regional auditions. We had eight different venues, and interviewed about 300 people in each one, so we saw almost 3,000 people. We invited some back for the afternoon session, and spoke to them all individually. After that, we draw up a shortlist of around 150 people nationwide, and sit down in a meeting with everyone from runners to senior staff, and narrow it down to 90 people.”

At this stage, things start getting serious. It’s more like being signed up by the CIA than applying for a TV show. “Once we have 90 applicants, we interview them all in a secret London hotel. But we arrange to meet them all at individual locations – for example, outside a coffee shop – and then they are met by someone and brought in for their interview, which will last about an hour. If we like them, they’ll be sent for another interview, elsewhere in the same hotel, with a psychotherapist. That way, we slim the list down to about 50 people. And then, from our final 50, we’ll discuss it further, and hopefully come up with the final 12.”

But the 12 they choose may not be the 12 who make it into the house. “Some people will decide they don’t want to do the show. At the moment, our final 50 are at home considering whether they want to do this or not. Even if they do want to, if they get chosen but have their identity leaked to the media, they can’t take part. That’s why we have to conduct all the interviews under a veil of secrecy. In my heart, I already know the 12 people I want in the house, but I also know that, as we get nearer to the first day, some will have to be struck off that list, for whatever reason.”

So what types is she looking for? “Well, for a start, we don’t want a copy of anyone who’s been on the show before. We don’t want another Jade, or another Alex, or Dean or Elizabeth. The public have seen them already. We want something fresh, people who the public will find interesting and also likeable. What we don’t want are performers, people who are going to go in and just play up to the cameras. We want the show to be about normal people under extreme circumstances. And, of course, we want people who are going to be able to cope with the situation. They’re being asked to give up their job, family, friends, partners and possessions for all of that time, and be under constant public scrutiny.”

This year, Big Brother is returning to its roots. It will be pared down to the essence of the show, namely “cutting people off from society and getting them to work together as a group,” Gigi explains.


“It’s about character and personality, and this format should really allow people to display who they are. Obviously, it’s also a game show, and there is a hard-edged element to it. You have to nominate people you live with and then let the public vote them out.”

“Ideally, we really want people to get on. It’s a complete misconception to suggest that we want people to hate each other and be rowing constantly. We want them to get on well, to really bond. That’s why we’ve reintroduced the element of the group weekly task this year – we want them to be working together towards a common goal.”

“The stakes are pretty high in the tasks this year. They have to bet at least 50 per cent of their weekly budget on the task succeeding, whereas in the past they only had to bet 10 per cent. If they fail, they’ll have to live on a diet of chickpeas and cauliflowers. Which could have unpleasant repercussions in more ways than one!”

Working on the show, and following it so closely, she must surely have favourites? “No, absolutely not. We can’t allow ourselves that luxury. But what’s interesting is that there are sometimes people who I really like before they go into the house, and then once they’re in there, you see a new side to them, while others who you weren’t so keen on really shine. The thing is, there’s nowhere to hide in the Big Brother house, so if you’re not being yourself, people will find out.”

“Another thing I’ve noticed is that I’m completely hopeless at working out who’s going to win. Every year, all of my guesses are completely wrong. But that’s the point of the show. The human capacity to surprise is what creates the unpredictability of the show, and that’s what makes it so compelling. Everyone is different, so every year, you have 12 new people, and 12 new stories, going into that house. That’s what makes it truly different from previous years; that’s the Phoenix rising from the ashes. In its simplest, purest possible form, that is the essence of the show. In the end, it’s a very simple concept: It’s about people. And if you’re interested in people, you’ll be interested in the show.”