[Mark]

From C4 Big Brother Press
Interview with Big Brother’s Little Brother presenter
DERMOT O’LEARY

So, another series of Big Brother is just weeks away … do you approach it with dread or excitement?
I love it – I can’t wait. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to do it. Although I can’t exactly retire I don’t have to take work if I don’t want to do the job.

When they came to you with Big Brother’s Little Brother what was your initial feeling?
I got it straight away. And I loved the idea of it – they just said to me, you can play around with it, it’s going to be your baby and I thought we’re not going to run out of content. And I saw after the first year that there was this sort of insatiable appetite for people who wanted to know more about it, which hasn’t been exhausted now – the minute you’ve got new housemates in there you’ve got new ideas. So there’s always a point to the show – yeah I thought it’ll get derided but any show that’s reality–based will get derided. I always think if you can explain the show in a couple of sentences and someone understands it you’re on to the winner.

Give us the couple of sentences then…
Well the great thing about Big BrotherLB is it is exactly what it says on the tin – a Little Brother, as in you love your Big Brother but you’re not afraid to kick him in the shins and run away. You wouldn’t stand up to him because he’s far too big and he’d beat you up, but every now and again you are stick your tongue out being cheeky to him

All-time favourite moment?
I’m doing the 50 best bits of Big Brother for E4, so I’ve been watching them all - and there are so many! I’d forgotten all about some of them – Amma shouting at Stuart in series 2. You watch it and think – if that had happened last year it would never have been off the front pages! Anything Jade does just makes me wet myself. ‘Portuganese’ was good – I loved the verruca argument most though. Every now and again she just reverts to being a five-year-old and you’ve got to love her for it. Tickle – he was a star. ‘Evening all’ and Hotel California were both excellent. He’s a nice guy and very intelligent. A lot of the series 3 moments were sort of halcyon for me – Sandy leaving, Alex doing ‘that’s the way I like it’. Kate winning, Jade getting her clothes off – and Jonny came 2nd – that’s incredible – he almost won!

What about Best Ever Evictions?
My best eviction was the night that the public really got it – and I don’t mean that in a patronising way. It was the night when Jade and Adele were up for eviction all week. Jade was way ahead (in a bad way), and then Graham Norton delivered this monologue one night on why the whole public should keep her in. I watched it and thought – he’s right, because she’s just great value. And then Adele came out to this horrible cacophony of boos and I felt really sorry for her. The public had kept in the person who they reckoned would be most entertaining.

You get to chat to the housemates more than some. Have you stayed mates?
It’s quite difficult to stay friends with them because it’s such a surreal relationship really, but you sort of want to be a confidant and you’re not going to give them a hard time. I think people are responsible for their actions and you should hold them to that – I gave Adele quite a hard time when she came out. Tickle’s a good guy – I’ve got his number and I speak to him every now and again. And I got Federico and Ray over to Ireland for a charity football match. They’re great, but I wouldn’t see them every day.

You’ve just got back from LA. What were you up to?
Big Brother 5 starts on the same night that Friends finishes so I was out there doing links for the night from the Friends set. We had 4 hours on the Central Perk set on the sofas and everything. The final show went out the night we flew back – and 50 million people watched it apparently. Amazing.

Did you steal any mementos from the set?
Yeah, I nabbed some coffee beans. Problem was they’d all been there for about 3 years so I ended up giving them to a friend of mine who lives out there. We got loads of photos - I’m a big fan of Friends and American sitcoms in general – there can’t be any argument as to how good a show you are if you’ve been going for ten years. It’s not just a great sitcom but also a funny soap opera.

You’re top of M&S’s list to do an underwear campaign? Up for it?
Well…no. I heard that but I’m not really comfortable enough with my body to do something like that.

You could use socks for ballast…
I’m not saying I’m not comfortable down there, fella! I think I’d probably need to work out a bit more. It’s flattering to be asked but I don’t think I could follow it through.

RT recently described you as the natural successor to Terry Wogan and Michael Aspel. Is that a compliment?
Loving the Wogan reference. Aspel’s good, ermm, but Wogan and Jonathan Ross are my two doyens of television. I’ve met both of them and you don’t really have that much to say because you’re just like gobsmacked. If I can be around in 20/30 year’s time I’ll be happy.

[Kaz]

Cheers, Mark.

You’re top of M&S’s list to do an underwear campaign? Up for it?
Well…no. I heard that but I’m not really comfortable enough with my body to do something like that.

Oh, go on Dermot !

[Crazeebandgal]

[quote]Originally posted by Kaz
Cheers, Mark.

You’re top of M&S’s list to do an underwear campaign? Up for it?
Well…no. I heard that but I’m not really comfortable enough with my body to do something like that.

I think he should! He's gorgeous! And Im sure he doesn't need socks for a ballast!

[Amy]

Excellent, thanks Mark