[Chanelle2win]

Taken From the Official Website

"I just want people to be good value," says the BBLB frontman

Hosting Big Brother's Little Brother means Dermot is the link between the fans and the Housemates. He talks to the viewers, the Housemates, their families, celebrity viewers, the crew... and now, he's talking. Does his job make him Big Brother's number one fan?

"I absolutely love it," he readily admits. "I'm just really looking forward to it. And I feel quite relaxed doing BBLB now, which doesn't mean I work any less hard, but there's a great team working on it, and we all know what we're doing now, so I'm just really looking forward to it. And I'm looking forward to it getting its sense of humour back, and having a bit of fun."

Big Brother's Little Brother is essential fan-viewing. But what does it mean to its host? "It's essentially your every day catch-up with what's going on in the house, with a slightly sideways glance at stuff. It's a show for Big Brother fans to revel in, and often they seem to know more than we do," he says. "It is Big Brother's Little Brother, so we love Big Brother, but at the same time, we're not averse to kicking Big Brother in the shins and running away. Like any little brother, we can be very mischievous." We know. So what can we expect this year, any changes?

"The tricky thing is, you want to try and keep it fresh. I think the key, for me, is that it's all about the minutiae of people's lives and what they do in the house. There's always stuff there we can play with. So the different characters in the house help us keep things fresh."

Any favourite characters over the years?

"I always liked the way Shell carried herself, but that was probably because she was really attractive. But she was lovely. I liked Science and Derek a great deal, and in terms of watching a journey, I think Glyn was an incredible contestant last year. I just want people to be good value, and he was."

Big Brother's Little Brother unveils a celebrity fan of the show every day. But will there ever be anyone like Alicia Duvall? "Oh I want her back on. She was extraordinary. There's a great moment in that, which I think you can spot on the TV, when I stop caring. I started off trying to make an effort, and about two minutes in I just thought, 'Alright love, I'll give you enough rope to hang yourself, off you go.' But they're the moments you live for in a weird, weird way. The booker was so apologetic after that, but I said 'Look, people are going to be talking about that in a couple of years' time.' And they still are. You should always try and book someone like that. She was incredible. I want her back."

If you had one wish for Big Brother this summer, what would it be?

"I want it to get its sense of humour back," says Dermot. "I don't think it deliberately left but I want to see people in boxes again. I want to see those wonderful tasks. Of course, you want to see tension every now and again, but I don't want it to start a worldwide political debate. And I want to see people who are there for the experience. I think the motivating factor for people going in there is now less about fame and more about the experience. The majority of people who go in there now want to feel validated somehow. They want to prove something to people."