[James]

From Media Guardian

Sun offers £50k for Big Brother sex

Ciar Byrne
Tuesday May 20, 2003

The Sun is trying to push the boundaries of taste and turn Big Brother 4 into "Big Bonker" by offering a £50,000 bootie to the first couple to have sex on live TV.

While there has been action aplenty between the sheets in international versions of the reality TV show, British Big Brother has so far seen nothing more than a few fumbles beneath the covers.

Now, in an effort to keep up with its European cousins who have already witnessed Big Brother sex, the Sun is offering a generous bounty for the first couple to "get it on".

Editor Rebekah Wade hopes that now it has thrown down the gauntlet, the fourth series - which kicks off on Friday - will indeed live up to the newspaper's prediction that it will be "the raunchiest so far".

Today's offer, however, includes a number of caveats designed to ensure the paper's interests are maintained.

First it made plain the reward did not extend to homosexuals. "The rules are simple - we will give £50,000 to the first Big Brother boy-girl bonk," it said in plain English.

And secondly it might pay out even if there is some doubt over whether sex actually took place. Sun readers will be asked to decide in a telephone poll whether a couple were "making it or faking it".

Jade Goody and PJ Ellis in the third series of the Channel 4 show and Paul Clarke and Helen Adams in series two set tongues wagging with some steamy bedroom action - but neither couple actually had sex.

Today's offer marks the start of a new circulation battle between the Sun and the Mirror, which last year positioned itself as the official "anti-Big Brother paper" as part of its bid to transform itself into a "serious" read.

Holland, the home of the hugely successful format, was also the first country where housemates had sex.

Earlier this month on the French Big Brother, Eleanor Legge-Bourke, the cousin of former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was filmed apparently having sex with a fellow contestant.

Housemates have also had sex on the Swedish, Norwegian, Australian, Italian and Belgian versions of the show.

There were a record number of applications for contestants for the fourth series, which will run for nine weeks, with more than 10,000 people sending in home videos.

Channel 4 is hoping to repeat the success of last year's show, which achieved the best ratings yet and generated more money than ever through text messaging and telephone voting.

However, last year's tabloid coverage noticeably dwindled, with the Daily Mirror declaring itself the "ant-Big Brother" paper. Today's challenge suggests the Sun at least has revived its interest in the show.

The newspaper also called on the friends, family and former boyfriends and girlfriends of any of this year's 12 contestants to contact the paper, saying it will pay for "stories, pictures and useful information

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That sounds like prostitution if you ask me. Tasteless. The tabloids continue to miss the point about why people watch Big Brother I think.

[James]

From Media Guardian

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Gays attack Sun's 'homophobic' Big Brother offer

Claire Cozens
Tuesday May 20, 2003

The Sun has come under fire from gay rights groups after it restricted an offer of £50,000 for the first Big Brother contestants to have sex on TV to heterosexual couplings.
Pressure group Stonewall said the offer, made in today's newspaper, showed the Sun was "out of touch" and would alienate Big Brother viewers, who had demonstrated their rejection of homophobia by voting an openly gay contestant to win two years ago.

"We think it's bizarre the Sun is excluding lesbian and gay people from their contest. Brian and Anna, two previous gay and lesbian contestants, topped the competition and their subsequent media careers have been strong compared with other straight contestants who have sunk without a trace," said Sacha Deshmukh, Stonewall's director of parliamentary affairs.

"The Sun's competition is clearly out of touch with Big Brother viewers, who have shown they reject homophobia."

Brian Dowling, who won the competition in 2001, has emerged as the most successful former contestant with a lucrative contract to host ITV's Saturday morning show, SM:TV.

Anna Nolan, who made it to the final of the first series, has a presenting job with the BBC.

The Sun's £50,000 offer to the first couple to have sex in the Big Brother house made plain the reward did not extend to homosexuals.

"The rules are simple - we will give £50,000 to the first Big Brother boy-girl bonk," it said.

It is not the first time the Sun has come under fire for homophobia. In 1998 the then editor, David Yelland, provoked a furious reaction with a front-page article demanding to know the sexuality of government ministers, headlined: "Tell us the truth Tony... are we being run by a gay mafia?".

The newspaper was forced to back down after a public outcry and promised not to reveal people's sexuality unless it could be justified on the grounds of overwhelming public interest.

No-one at the Sun could be reached for comment.

----------------------------------

[steve_o]

Blimey!, what do you expect from the Sun it has got a page 3 girl or did have. Sex is going to happen sometime I suppose, there's going to be someone who wants to make a name for themselves. I myself think it should be private, it's better that way anyway.

[BusyBee]

They might get £50,000 but how are they going to be treated by the media when they come out?

I'm sure the tabloids will be right there putting the boot in. The housemates might be richer, but therir lives certainly wont be.

[celilxxx]

Originally posted by James
From Media Guardian

Sun offers £50k for Big Brother sex

Ciar Byrne
Tuesday May 20, 2003

The Sun is trying to push the boundaries of taste and turn Big Brother 4 into "Big Bonker" by offering a £50,000 bootie to the first couple to have sex on live TV.

While there has been action aplenty between the sheets in international versions of the reality TV show, British Big Brother has so far seen nothing more than a few fumbles beneath the covers.

Now, in an effort to keep up with its European cousins who have already witnessed Big Brother sex, the Sun is offering a generous bounty for the first couple to "get it on".

Editor Rebekah Wade hopes that now it has thrown down the gauntlet, the fourth series - which kicks off on Friday - will indeed live up to the newspaper's prediction that it will be "the raunchiest so far".

Today's offer, however, includes a number of caveats designed to ensure the paper's interests are maintained.

First it made plain the reward did not extend to homosexuals. "The rules are simple - we will give £50,000 to the first Big Brother boy-girl bonk," it said in plain English.

And secondly it might pay out even if there is some doubt over whether sex actually took place. Sun readers will be asked to decide in a telephone poll whether a couple were "making it or faking it".

Jade Goody and PJ Ellis in the third series of the Channel 4 show and Paul Clarke and Helen Adams in series two set tongues wagging with some steamy bedroom action - but neither couple actually had sex.

Today's offer marks the start of a new circulation battle between the Sun and the Mirror, which last year positioned itself as the official "anti-Big Brother paper" as part of its bid to transform itself into a "serious" read.

Holland, the home of the hugely successful format, was also the first country where housemates had sex.

Earlier this month on the French Big Brother, Eleanor Legge-Bourke, the cousin of former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was filmed apparently having sex with a fellow contestant.

Housemates have also had sex on the Swedish, Norwegian, Australian, Italian and Belgian versions of the show.

There were a record number of applications for contestants for the fourth series, which will run for nine weeks, with more than 10,000 people sending in home videos.

Channel 4 is hoping to repeat the success of last year's show, which achieved the best ratings yet and generated more money than ever through text messaging and telephone voting.

However, last year's tabloid coverage noticeably dwindled, with the Daily Mirror declaring itself the "ant-Big Brother" paper. Today's challenge suggests the Sun at least has revived its interest in the show.

The newspaper also called on the friends, family and former boyfriends and girlfriends of any of this year's 12 contestants to contact the paper, saying it will pay for "stories, pictures and useful information

------------------------------------

That sounds like prostitution if you ask me. :shocked: Tasteless. The tabloids continue to miss the point about why people watch Big Brother I think.

[Arneldo]

Why bump a topic from 2003?