womanizer
22-05-2007, 05:41 PM
Ok this is long.
BIG BROTHER IS BACK!
The countdown begins to a new summer series starting 30 May on Channel 4 & E4.
This summer, Big Brother returns to Channel 4 and E4 with an even bigger eighth series. On Wednesday 30 May, a brand new gaggle of housemates will move into a transformed Big Brother house and viewers will be able to watch their every move on both Channel 4, E4 and online.
Launch night, as always, is essential viewing. In a special live show hosted by Davina McCall, viewers will finally discover the identities of the new housemates. Stepping out of the cars, greeting the crowd and clinging to just a few worldly possessions, each housemate will walk through the house doors into a brand new house. Once they do, the unsuspecting group have no idea what Big Brother has in store for them. The second the famous doors shut behind them, the fun and frolics will most certainly begin. As they wave goodbye to the outside world, the housemates will dwell side by side, abiding by strict rules, taking part in elaborate tasks and nominating each other for eviction. All under the cheeky glint of Big Brother’s all-seeing eye.
This year also sees the return of E4’s hit spin-off shows Big Brother’s Little Brother and Big Brother’s Big Mouth, plus a brand new double-bill for Sunday nights on Channel 4 including a one-hour show hosted by Davina McCall called Big Brother On The Couch.
This summer, one big mouth will be replaced with many big mouths as Big Brother’s Big Mouth returns with a batch of special guest presenters. In front of a live audience, each week a new front person will ensure house events are hotly debated - leaving no topic or house event ignored. Big Brother will get back to you with names…
The Big Brother website’s newsroom will be working round the clock to keep fans up-to-date on events in the house, as well as offering email updates and chat forums. In addition, website users will be able to follow all the house action by subscribing to the live streaming, accessing free video clips and reading all the insider gossip in the evicted housemates’ very own web diaries. All this, plus the Big Brother Podcast will be giving Channel 4 Radio listeners an exclusive audio treat: a weekly, ten-minute show created by the housemates on the day of evictions. www.channel4radio.com
Angela Jain, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, says: “Summer wouldn't be the same without Big Brother. This year promises to be as unpredictable as ever, with a brand new group of distinctive housemates who we hope will go on one of the most memorable journeys of their lives. As always, our ambition is to deliver a series as funny, exciting and unmissable as it ever has been.”
Big Brother is produced by Brighter Pictures (an Endemol company) for Channel 4 and E4.
The official sponsor of Big Brother is Virgin Media.
For all press enquiries contact:
Big Brother Press Hotline: 020 7306 6900 (from 23 May 2007)
Email: [email protected]
INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER REBECCA DE YOUNG
Rebecca De Young first worked on Big Brother in 2002 when she joined the team as a Producer in Series 3. She has also worked on the show as House Director and Senior Producer, and was Series Editor on Big Brother 5 and Celebrity Big Brother 3.
So what's going to be different about this year's Big Brother?
We’ve got some big new plans and ideas for Big Brother 8 and want this year’s Big Brother to feel fresh, funny and very exciting.
Did you choose people at the auditions? Which cities had the best characters?
We work as a team casting the housemates and I was there at every venue we visited, meeting applicants and getting to know them. The tour is great fun because it’s always exhilarating to know that each city will bring new applicants and individuals that you might never have expected to audition for Big Brother. Each city is unique and brings its own unique potential housemates.
Does it get harder each year to find new housemates? Do people try to second guess Big Brother? Who do you rule out straight away?
Each year we have the challenge of casting a group of housemates that are different to previous Big Brother housemates and each year we meet new people that can do just that. Some people try and second-guess Big Brother; some think that if they can be ‘like’ a former housemate they’ll stand a better chance of going in. We always tell people that at the end of the day, the best thing to do is ‘just be you’. We look for individuals with a unique appeal who will be interesting within a group. No one is ruled out straight away and everyone who queues is seen by a member of the production team.
How much time is spent with the housemates, getting to know them before they go in? Do they live up to expectations?
We spend time getting to know the potential housemates in a variety of different situations – in both their own environment and in environments that Big Brother has organised. If you find an interview with Big Brother too hard to handle, imagine how you’re going to feel getting out of a car with a thousand people screaming and millions watching you at home! Housemates always live up to our expectations and it’s really exciting when they exceed them as we follow their journey over the course of the series. For example, Nadia’s journey in Big Brother 5 was remarkable and very touching and the viewers clearly thought so too when they made her the winner. She was initially unsure of how she would be accepted and Big Brother was an incredible experience for her.
What kinds of tests are done to ensure the housemates are suitable to go in the house?
We have a series of very thorough checks that all potential housemates have before we will even consider offering them a place in the Big Brother house. All of our potential housemates are also given something that we call the ‘Talk of Doom’, where we actively encourage them to think carefully about the impact that taking part in Big Brother could have on their lives. It’s important that, in addition to us assessing whether someone is right for the Big Brother house, each potential housemate thinks about whether Big Brother is right for him or her.
There were lots of walk-outs at the start of last summer. How do you cope with these? What would you do in the case of a mass walk-out, or if the housemates all went on strike?
The housemates have gone on strike before! In Big Brother 5, when Big Brother had Stuart’s cowboy hat, the housemates refused to talk. It’s one of my favourite shows. And in Celebrity Big Brother 3, John McCririck refused to speak to both Big Brother and his fellow housemates when he didn’t get any of his favourite cola in the weekly shopping task.
The beauty of Big Brother is that each situation is completely distinctive and unique, and so is dealt with accordingly. Some housemates decide that their Big Brother journey has come to an end. That’s entirely up to them, and just as people are free to drop out of the audition process at any time they choose, housemates are free to leave the house if they choose to do so.
How many people are working on the production this year?
At the last count it was 586 people… and rising. This is due to the number of different shows and the fact that Big Brother is a 24-hour operation!
How will the house cope with the imminent smoking ban? Will Big Brother have to act as smoking police?
As I'm sure you'll appreciate, details of the production are a closely-guarded secret before the programme goes to air. However, this is an issue we take seriously and one that will be addressed during the course of the series.
What will the house be like? Will there be extra rooms or houses next door?
The Big Brother house will have a bold style and some new quirky surprises that are exclusive to Big Brother 8 – all will be revealed by Big Brother in due course.
Last year’s series began and ended with romances in the house – do you think any are likely this year, from the housemates you’ve chosen?
There’s nothing quite like a love story but it’s impossible to cast for one… we will just have to wait and see if romance blossoms in the Big Brother 8 house.
What has been your favourite previous series to work on? What or who made it such a good experience for you?
I love Big Brother and it’s hard to single out any particular series as being my favourite, because each one is such a unique experience for the housemates and for the team. In Big Brother 7, it was great to see housemates such as Glyn and Aisleyne learn so much about themselves, and the Prison Task was really entertaining and very moving when Richard got his letter from home. Big Brother 5 was a lot of fun because we changed the way that we did some things – which makes it exciting. There’ll be plenty more of that this summer; all I can say is, watch this space!
INTERVIEW WITH DAVINA MCCALL
Not many people have squeezed as much into their first 39 years as Davina McCall. She has been, at various points, a singer, a restaurant manager, a model-agency booker, and a singing waitress. In the last ten years, she’s become one of the highest-profile presenters on British television, as well as becoming a mother to three children.
A new series of Big Brother, Channel 4’s flagship reality show which McCall has ably helmed from the off, is set to start in the coming weeks. She and fellow host Dermot O’Leary are in a North London studio for their BB8 publicity photo shoot and McCall seems as excited as if it were her first ever show. In person, she is every bit as warm and fun as her TV persona, and couldn’t be monosyllabic if she tried. In short, she’s an interviewer’s dream.
Big Brother has made a lot of people famous, for varying lengths of time. But actually, the ultimate person who’s been made famous by Big Brother is you. Did you ever think it would be as huge as it has turned out to be?
No. When I first did it I thought it was just another gig, but as time’s gone by, it’s become bigger and bigger. What I like about it is that it’s about the people in the house, not about the people who host it. But I also think being in the house is no longer a stepping-stone to fame. It’s become less and less about that. I think people have realised that once you’re an ex-Big Brother housemate, you’re tarnished. It’s perfect for someone like Nadia, because Nadia had something she needed to prove to herself. She was never really after a career.
Do you think the fact that you’ve had difficult patches in your life makes you more sympathetic to some of the more complex Big Brother characters?
I suppose I can empathise with different sorts of people, because I’ve been through lots of different things throughout my life. Life experience is very helpful for relating to other people, because it gives me insights I wouldn’t otherwise have. And it made me realise that I’m by no means a perfect person, so I don’t expect others to be perfect.
Which have been your favourite moments in past Big Brothers?
Nadia winning was a very emotional one for me. Brian winning - that was great. The bedsit where the girls were living, the box task, Pete Burns, George Galloway and Rula Lenska. There have been so many amazing, amazing moments. Big Brother is an ongoing joy, and I’m very, very lucky to be hosting it.
If you could have one wish for this Big Brother, what would it be?
I want to laugh, laugh, laugh until I pee my pants.
Do you get to choose your own clothes for Big Brother? You wear some quite ‘out there’ stuff sometimes.
AJ is my stylist, and she’s brilliant! She comes up with outfits that she thinks I might wear, and it’s stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily be brave enough to wear on my own or when I go out. I live in the country, so I’m always in jeans and a t-shirt. So to have someone say ‘Try a hat’ or ‘Try a cape’ is quite fun. It’s like dressing up.
Most of your work has been live TV. Do you prefer it that way?
When you’ve done live TV it’s quite hard to get into studio stuff where they’ll say ‘Take five… take six… take seven…’ The nice thing about live, as a viewer, is the sense that anything could happen. I find live TV more fun. And I don’t get nervous doing it any more.
In your TV career you’ve done some enormously high profile shows, from Big Brother to the BAFTAs, Comic Relief and, obviously, God’s Gift.
God’s Gift - now that was brilliant TV. Bring it back! Bring it back!
What’s been the high point of them all for you?
Funnily enough, because it was my first foray into television, I really enjoyed doing God’s Gift. Let’s not get it confused with anything other than a daft programme where men ended up in their pants in front of an audience of baying women! When I took it on, I thought that it could either be the end of my career or it could be the beginning. And it ended up, for some unknown reason, becoming some sort of cult show. I had no script at all, I wrote everything, it was completely mad, freeform television, that was really good fun… hugely exciting for me.
Congratulations on the birth of number three last September. What’s it like having a boy after two girls?
Well, for the first month I kept saying ‘Good girl’…‘Oh, look at her’, that sort of thing. So it took a bit of getting used to. And the whole changing nappy thing is interesting. But it’s just heaven. And I look at photos of us now. When we had two children we looked quite controlled, but now we’re a gang. I love it!
And all three of them are September babies. Do you essentially save your amorous moments only for Christmas time?
What happens, in all honesty, is that we say ‘We can get pregnant any time after Christmas, because that’ll tie in okay with Big Brother’. So we say, ‘We’ll start thinking about it at Christmas, and see what happens’. And clearly we’re just extremely compatible, Matthew and I, and it just seems that I get pregnant really quickly.
You recently made a programme about sex education for Channel 4. It’s an important issue for you, isn’t it?
Well, I just find it amazing that, with the statistics we’ve got regarding teenage pregnancy, there is still no sex education on the curriculum in this country. How can we not be teaching our children about how to have a healthy emotional life? For me, sexual welfare is part of emotional welfare. I think it would be a nation-changing decision if the government would just introduce proper sex education.
INTERVIEW WITH DERMOT O’LEARY
The Dermot O’Leary who appears on TV is friendly, sociable, funny and cheerful. Away from the cameras, Dermot O’Leary is an interviewer’s nightmare. It turns out he’s so friendly, sociable, funny and cheerful, that he can’t help but spend the day chatting to anyone and everyone, spreading his own brand of cheeky-chappy bonhomie wherever he goes. Today, at a Big Brother photo shoot in North London, it means that actually getting him to sit down and do an interview is virtually impossible. He’s permanently off getting the stylist a drink, introducing himself to the assembled crew, or talking football with the photographer’s assistant.
As a result, it’s impossible not to like O’Leary. What you see is most assuredly what you get. It is this natural charm that has seen O’Leary’s stock rise year after year since he first appeared on T4 over a decade ago. It also explains how Big Brother’s Little Brother has become appointment-to-view TV for the show’s millions of fans.
Big Brother’s almost back with us. Do you feel like it seems to come round really quickly?
Yeah in a good way, because I absolutely love it. I’ve got a really busy summer coming up, but 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.
How would you describe Big Brother’s Little Brother?
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. It is what it says on the tin, 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.
How do you keep the show fresh, after so many programmes? Will you change anything this year?
I’m not sure. The tricky thing is, you want to try and keep it fresh, of course. Already we’ve got a fair few items in development which should be really good fun. 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.
Who has been your favourite contestant in Big Brother over the seven series?
I always liked the way Shell Jubin 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.
Do you ever find that you dislike some of the Big Brother contestants? If so, does that mark the way you interview them?
I can normally empathise with them. The problem is, by the time I get them, if they haven’t behaved particularly well, they’ve been vilified. So by the time they get to me, it’s like shooting a wounded puppy - you don’t really have the heart to do it. But there have been a couple who I’ve been quite keen to put difficult questions to. I find that easier as time goes on, actually.
Do you think there will ever, in the history of TV programmes, be a worse guest on a show than Alicia Duvall [once a guest of Dermot on BBLB]?
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. 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.
I’d never realised that your real name is Sean, Dermot’s a middle name. Why don’t you call yourself Sean?
You know what it’s like, Irish parents, they’re insane. There’s some sort of tradition that if the son is called after the father, then you don’t use his first name, you use his middle name. So I’ve never been called Sean in my life. It’s weird though, to the point that now my passport says Dermot. Just because the girls in the Irish embassy, when I went in to pick it up, said ‘Alright Dermot? We’re doing your passport now. ‘ And so they’d just automatically put Dermot on it.
PROGRAMMING INFORMATION
CHANNEL 4 PROGRAMMES:
Fans can stay glued to events in the Big Brother house throughout the summer in a variety of ways. In brief, Channel 4 viewers will be able to watch:
· A live launch show hosted by Davina McCall, which sees the housemates entering the house.
· A hour-long show with highlights of the previous 24 hours in the house. (Sunday-Friday)
Live eviction programmes presented by Davina McCall.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth – new to Friday nights. Special post-eviction helpings of the debate show featuring guest presenters.
A double bill on Sunday nights, including a new one-hour psychology show hosted by Davina McCall - Big Brother on the Couch – plus an hour-long show chronicling events in the house on Friday night and Saturday.
An hour-long Big Brother’s Little Brother on T4 each Sunday, hosted by Dermot O’Leary.
Late-night streaming live from the house.
Big Brother Live Launch Show
Davina McCall presents live from the Big Brother studios where a new group of housemates will enter the Big Brother house for the very first time, live on Channel 4. Viewers will see the new housemates as they share their very first moments together and settle in for what could be the most unpredictable few weeks – or even months - of their lives.
Big Brother
The hour-long programmes will feature all the action from the previous 24 hours in the house, including tasks and nominations (Sunday-Friday).
Live Eviction Shows
Davina McCall will announce the result of the viewers’ vote and the evicted housemate will exit the house live on the show. They’ll then join Davina for their first interview, revealing all about their Big Brother experience.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth
A special Friday night edition of Big Mouth sees guest presenters and a host of panelists debate the latest eviction from the Big Brother house. The show will be repeated later that night on E4.
Big Brother On The Couch - starts Sunday 3 June, 2007, 8pm
Davina McCall will host a brand new addition to the Big Brother family, Big Brother on The Couch. The new Sunday night show will be see Davina take a look back at the key events of the week and talk to leading experts from the field of psychology about how life in the most watched house in Britain is affecting its residents.
Davina commented: "I'm really excited about doing this show. The psychologists take on our housemates has always fascinated me so to sit down and have a natter about the week’s antics in the BB house will be a treat."
Commissioning Editor, Gideon Joseph said of the new addition: “Unpicking the psychology of the housemates and tackling the big themes that emerge over the summer is going to be at the heart of Big Brother On The Couch. It will be the viewer's chance to have large Sunday gulp of insightful entertainment and is a welcome addition to the BB family of shows.”
Big Brother Live
Channel 4 viewers will have a chance to watch late-night streaming broadcast live and direct from the house every night.
E4 PROGRAMMES:
E4 continues to be the number one destination for all Big Brother devotees, who want to catch all the action as it happens.
· Big Brother’s Little Brother – Monday to Friday
· Big Brother’s Big Mouth – Tuesday to Thursday (times vary) with Fridays on Channel 4
· Big Brother: Diary Room Uncut – Saturday and Sunday (times vary)
· Big Brother Live
· Big Brother: After They Were Housemates - (Friday 25 May)
· Big Brother: According to Russell Brand - (Friday 25 May)
Big Brother’s Little Brother
Big Brother’s mischievous sibling is back as Dermot O’Leary presents the essential half-hour fanzine show, delivering all the latest news, views and access to all areas of the house. Dermot delivers his own unique insight into the latest shenanigans live from the Big Brother nerve centre, and fans can catch insider scoops on upcoming twists and the very first in-depth interviews with evicted housemates on their return to the outside world.
Dermot will be regularly joined by the housemates’ relatives, friends and workmates, who will reveal what their loved ones are really like in the outside world. In addition to all this, celebrities, journalists, psychologists and other experts will also be dropping in to discuss the latest happenings in the house.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth
Broadcast live in the shadow of the Big Brother house straight after the nightly Channel 4 show, Big Brother’s Big Mouth is a fast-paced vibrant arena for all Big Brother fans to air their views and ask the questions on everybody’s lips. In front of a live studio audience, special guest presenters will preside over a panel of experts - including journalists, celebrities, obsessive fans and friends and relatives of the housemates - will dissect all the latest news and gossip in the house. Plus viewers can get involved by calling and ranting into the Big Brother’s Big Mouth mouthpiece, emailing or texting their thoughts and becoming a member of the studio audience.
Big Brother Diary Room Uncut
On Saturday and Sunday nights, E4 viewers can eavesdrop on housemates in the most secret and revealing room in the house. In the infamous diary room chair, the housemates can grumble, gossip, cry and connive without anyone else in the house hearing or seeing them. Viewers get an extended look at what the housemates disclose about each other and life in the house, and also where they reveal the names of the housemates they’d like to nominate for eviction.
Big Brother Live
Once again, viewers will be able to keep track of all the Big Brother housemates’ activities by tuning into daily live streaming on E4.
Big Brother: After They Were Housemates
After They Were Housemates meets up with former housemates from series one to the present day, and finds out how living in the most famous house in Britain has affected their lives. Did BB2's Paul ever become an 'international rock star'? Did BB6's Craig ever get it together with Anthony? Did BB7's Nikki fulfil her dream of marrying a professional footballer? This is the definitive guide to life after Big Brother.
Big Brother: According to Russell Brand
The former front man of Big Brother's Big Mouth, Russell Brand takes a surreal look at Big Brother through the ages. Did you know that the original eye logo was Su Pollard from Hi-De-Hi and that BB4's Gos was the inspiration for the Lionel Ritchie smash Hello? Brand reveals the truth behind the phenomenon that has been Big Brother for the past eight years.
THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE
The new batch of housemates will reside in the famous Big Brother house, located within Elstree Film and Television Studios in Hertfordshire. The house is, as always, fully equipped with state-of-the-art audio and visual recording equipment to document every movement made and every word said in the house and garden, 24 hours a day. There are 41 cameras this year.
There will be one bedroom for all the housemates to share. There will also be a larder just off the kitchen area. In terms of décor, the house will have a modern feel to it, with clean lines and elegant furniture. The garden comes complete with a swimming pool.
Big Brother 8 housemates will face a mixed up modernistic sur-reality house when they arrive – nothing is where it should be. It may all look glamorous with designer mod cons but the house will be hard work for its new residents.
A giant blue roll-top bath in the raspberry pink living room will be the first indication that all is not as it should be. It’ll be like bathing in a disco with multi-coloured light panels surrounding it. But that is just the beginning…
Just cooking a meal may take team work. At the furthest point away from what appears to be the ‘kitchen’ is the housemate’s fridge/freezer – outside in the garden. The sink is on one side of the main living area, and the hotplate opposite is set amongst a wall of white cubes. But where is the cooker?
For those with an eye for pop culture, there are plenty of ‘arty’ references in the house. There’s Big Brother’s very own homage to Brit art bad boy, Damian Hurst – a split rubber chicken suspended in clear boxes. A cheeky, Warhol-inspired target is painted on the white floor in the living room and the oval cut out white and blue wall is also inspired by the Barak Architects, who the designed the 'Cheese House' building in Nitra, Slovakia.
Other objects of interest in the house include:
For the first time the Diary Room will have a lit corridor that will indicate if the room is in use, by changing colour from red to green when the Diary Room button is pushed.
Tea and toast will be a luxury the housemates may have to live without, as the kettle and toaster are locked away in a see-through box. Only Big Brother will decide when they’ll get access.
A retro 70’s designed blue and black phone is nestled on the sink bench – but who will be calling and will the housemates be able to phone home?
The white dining room table is surrounded by white retro designer chairs and stools.
A corrugated water butt in the garden will enable the housemates to collect and use water for the garden.
Recycling bins in the food storage area will help the housemates to be environmentally friendly
A closed blind on the outside of the window in the living room, but who’ll be peeping in?
One half of the living area is raspberry pink floor to ceiling - and the other half is baby blue.
Two large circular windows look onto the garden. But will it just be Big Brother keeping an eye on sunbathing housemates?
Big Brother house designer Patrick Watson says,
"It has taken 8,000 man hours to construct the house for this summer’s housemates. This year we have gone for a cleaner, more adult look, using more textures and colours to brand each area."
THE BIG BROTHER WEBSITE
Europe’s most popular entertainment website is back once again with all the latest news, video and image galleries from the Big Brother house, at www.channel4.com/bigbrother. The site will launch on the 21st May with a completely new redesign.
Last summer, the site received more than 602 million hits and this year, the definitive Big Brother resource will, for the very first time, give fans the chance to be privy to diaries from the evicted housemates. From the moment they step out of the house, they will share their experiences and inner-most thoughts exclusively with our online community.
Viewers will be able to sign up to streaming as normal with our series pass available at £7.99, and catch up on free daily episodes of Big Brother, as well as each eviction and BBLB, on Channel 4's on-demand service, 4oD. And as if that’s not enough, a free weekly podcast will be available at www.channel4radio.com - so there really is no excuse to miss out on any of the Big Brother gossip this summer.
www.channel4.com/bigbrother
CHANNEL 4 RADIO – THE BIG BROTHER PODCAST
Last year, a podcast created by the Big Brother housemates knocked Ricky Gervais off the number one slot on iTunes. This summer, the Big Brother Podcast is back, giving Channel 4 radio listeners an exclusive audio treat: The Housemates’ Radio Show, a weekly, ten-minute show created by the housemates on the day of evictions.
Every Friday, the housemates who face eviction that night have to present their own radio show that morning. They know it's their final opportunity to reach the voters. From news bulletins, weather reports, interviews and jingles, it's last-chance radio, and it's a Big Brother exclusive to Channel 4 Radio. A radio show left in the hands of the nominated housemates…who knows what will happen?
www.channel4radio.com
VIRGIN MEDIA SPONSORS BIG BROTHER 8
Virgin Media is delighted to have been announced as the exclusive sponsor of Big Brother 8 and Virgin Mobile will take top billing.
David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, said: "We share so much with Virgin, in both brand and business, so look forward to pooling our expertise to create a ground-breaking sponsorship."
James Kydd, managing director of marketing at Virgin Media, added: “We’re a pioneering and innovative company so it made sense to create an alliance with a show that has genuinely changed the face of TV.
“We want to take the show to the next level by engaging viewers and pushing the boundaries of interaction across platforms in a way never seen before.
“Big Brother has always come under the spotlight and courted a lot of attention. Virgin is known for facing challenges head on and we know that our customers enjoy Big Brother because it’s the most unpredictable and exciting TV programme there is.”
The BBBM Presenter will be a guest presenter that changes every week.
BIG BROTHER IS BACK!
The countdown begins to a new summer series starting 30 May on Channel 4 & E4.
This summer, Big Brother returns to Channel 4 and E4 with an even bigger eighth series. On Wednesday 30 May, a brand new gaggle of housemates will move into a transformed Big Brother house and viewers will be able to watch their every move on both Channel 4, E4 and online.
Launch night, as always, is essential viewing. In a special live show hosted by Davina McCall, viewers will finally discover the identities of the new housemates. Stepping out of the cars, greeting the crowd and clinging to just a few worldly possessions, each housemate will walk through the house doors into a brand new house. Once they do, the unsuspecting group have no idea what Big Brother has in store for them. The second the famous doors shut behind them, the fun and frolics will most certainly begin. As they wave goodbye to the outside world, the housemates will dwell side by side, abiding by strict rules, taking part in elaborate tasks and nominating each other for eviction. All under the cheeky glint of Big Brother’s all-seeing eye.
This year also sees the return of E4’s hit spin-off shows Big Brother’s Little Brother and Big Brother’s Big Mouth, plus a brand new double-bill for Sunday nights on Channel 4 including a one-hour show hosted by Davina McCall called Big Brother On The Couch.
This summer, one big mouth will be replaced with many big mouths as Big Brother’s Big Mouth returns with a batch of special guest presenters. In front of a live audience, each week a new front person will ensure house events are hotly debated - leaving no topic or house event ignored. Big Brother will get back to you with names…
The Big Brother website’s newsroom will be working round the clock to keep fans up-to-date on events in the house, as well as offering email updates and chat forums. In addition, website users will be able to follow all the house action by subscribing to the live streaming, accessing free video clips and reading all the insider gossip in the evicted housemates’ very own web diaries. All this, plus the Big Brother Podcast will be giving Channel 4 Radio listeners an exclusive audio treat: a weekly, ten-minute show created by the housemates on the day of evictions. www.channel4radio.com
Angela Jain, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor, says: “Summer wouldn't be the same without Big Brother. This year promises to be as unpredictable as ever, with a brand new group of distinctive housemates who we hope will go on one of the most memorable journeys of their lives. As always, our ambition is to deliver a series as funny, exciting and unmissable as it ever has been.”
Big Brother is produced by Brighter Pictures (an Endemol company) for Channel 4 and E4.
The official sponsor of Big Brother is Virgin Media.
For all press enquiries contact:
Big Brother Press Hotline: 020 7306 6900 (from 23 May 2007)
Email: [email protected]
INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER REBECCA DE YOUNG
Rebecca De Young first worked on Big Brother in 2002 when she joined the team as a Producer in Series 3. She has also worked on the show as House Director and Senior Producer, and was Series Editor on Big Brother 5 and Celebrity Big Brother 3.
So what's going to be different about this year's Big Brother?
We’ve got some big new plans and ideas for Big Brother 8 and want this year’s Big Brother to feel fresh, funny and very exciting.
Did you choose people at the auditions? Which cities had the best characters?
We work as a team casting the housemates and I was there at every venue we visited, meeting applicants and getting to know them. The tour is great fun because it’s always exhilarating to know that each city will bring new applicants and individuals that you might never have expected to audition for Big Brother. Each city is unique and brings its own unique potential housemates.
Does it get harder each year to find new housemates? Do people try to second guess Big Brother? Who do you rule out straight away?
Each year we have the challenge of casting a group of housemates that are different to previous Big Brother housemates and each year we meet new people that can do just that. Some people try and second-guess Big Brother; some think that if they can be ‘like’ a former housemate they’ll stand a better chance of going in. We always tell people that at the end of the day, the best thing to do is ‘just be you’. We look for individuals with a unique appeal who will be interesting within a group. No one is ruled out straight away and everyone who queues is seen by a member of the production team.
How much time is spent with the housemates, getting to know them before they go in? Do they live up to expectations?
We spend time getting to know the potential housemates in a variety of different situations – in both their own environment and in environments that Big Brother has organised. If you find an interview with Big Brother too hard to handle, imagine how you’re going to feel getting out of a car with a thousand people screaming and millions watching you at home! Housemates always live up to our expectations and it’s really exciting when they exceed them as we follow their journey over the course of the series. For example, Nadia’s journey in Big Brother 5 was remarkable and very touching and the viewers clearly thought so too when they made her the winner. She was initially unsure of how she would be accepted and Big Brother was an incredible experience for her.
What kinds of tests are done to ensure the housemates are suitable to go in the house?
We have a series of very thorough checks that all potential housemates have before we will even consider offering them a place in the Big Brother house. All of our potential housemates are also given something that we call the ‘Talk of Doom’, where we actively encourage them to think carefully about the impact that taking part in Big Brother could have on their lives. It’s important that, in addition to us assessing whether someone is right for the Big Brother house, each potential housemate thinks about whether Big Brother is right for him or her.
There were lots of walk-outs at the start of last summer. How do you cope with these? What would you do in the case of a mass walk-out, or if the housemates all went on strike?
The housemates have gone on strike before! In Big Brother 5, when Big Brother had Stuart’s cowboy hat, the housemates refused to talk. It’s one of my favourite shows. And in Celebrity Big Brother 3, John McCririck refused to speak to both Big Brother and his fellow housemates when he didn’t get any of his favourite cola in the weekly shopping task.
The beauty of Big Brother is that each situation is completely distinctive and unique, and so is dealt with accordingly. Some housemates decide that their Big Brother journey has come to an end. That’s entirely up to them, and just as people are free to drop out of the audition process at any time they choose, housemates are free to leave the house if they choose to do so.
How many people are working on the production this year?
At the last count it was 586 people… and rising. This is due to the number of different shows and the fact that Big Brother is a 24-hour operation!
How will the house cope with the imminent smoking ban? Will Big Brother have to act as smoking police?
As I'm sure you'll appreciate, details of the production are a closely-guarded secret before the programme goes to air. However, this is an issue we take seriously and one that will be addressed during the course of the series.
What will the house be like? Will there be extra rooms or houses next door?
The Big Brother house will have a bold style and some new quirky surprises that are exclusive to Big Brother 8 – all will be revealed by Big Brother in due course.
Last year’s series began and ended with romances in the house – do you think any are likely this year, from the housemates you’ve chosen?
There’s nothing quite like a love story but it’s impossible to cast for one… we will just have to wait and see if romance blossoms in the Big Brother 8 house.
What has been your favourite previous series to work on? What or who made it such a good experience for you?
I love Big Brother and it’s hard to single out any particular series as being my favourite, because each one is such a unique experience for the housemates and for the team. In Big Brother 7, it was great to see housemates such as Glyn and Aisleyne learn so much about themselves, and the Prison Task was really entertaining and very moving when Richard got his letter from home. Big Brother 5 was a lot of fun because we changed the way that we did some things – which makes it exciting. There’ll be plenty more of that this summer; all I can say is, watch this space!
INTERVIEW WITH DAVINA MCCALL
Not many people have squeezed as much into their first 39 years as Davina McCall. She has been, at various points, a singer, a restaurant manager, a model-agency booker, and a singing waitress. In the last ten years, she’s become one of the highest-profile presenters on British television, as well as becoming a mother to three children.
A new series of Big Brother, Channel 4’s flagship reality show which McCall has ably helmed from the off, is set to start in the coming weeks. She and fellow host Dermot O’Leary are in a North London studio for their BB8 publicity photo shoot and McCall seems as excited as if it were her first ever show. In person, she is every bit as warm and fun as her TV persona, and couldn’t be monosyllabic if she tried. In short, she’s an interviewer’s dream.
Big Brother has made a lot of people famous, for varying lengths of time. But actually, the ultimate person who’s been made famous by Big Brother is you. Did you ever think it would be as huge as it has turned out to be?
No. When I first did it I thought it was just another gig, but as time’s gone by, it’s become bigger and bigger. What I like about it is that it’s about the people in the house, not about the people who host it. But I also think being in the house is no longer a stepping-stone to fame. It’s become less and less about that. I think people have realised that once you’re an ex-Big Brother housemate, you’re tarnished. It’s perfect for someone like Nadia, because Nadia had something she needed to prove to herself. She was never really after a career.
Do you think the fact that you’ve had difficult patches in your life makes you more sympathetic to some of the more complex Big Brother characters?
I suppose I can empathise with different sorts of people, because I’ve been through lots of different things throughout my life. Life experience is very helpful for relating to other people, because it gives me insights I wouldn’t otherwise have. And it made me realise that I’m by no means a perfect person, so I don’t expect others to be perfect.
Which have been your favourite moments in past Big Brothers?
Nadia winning was a very emotional one for me. Brian winning - that was great. The bedsit where the girls were living, the box task, Pete Burns, George Galloway and Rula Lenska. There have been so many amazing, amazing moments. Big Brother is an ongoing joy, and I’m very, very lucky to be hosting it.
If you could have one wish for this Big Brother, what would it be?
I want to laugh, laugh, laugh until I pee my pants.
Do you get to choose your own clothes for Big Brother? You wear some quite ‘out there’ stuff sometimes.
AJ is my stylist, and she’s brilliant! She comes up with outfits that she thinks I might wear, and it’s stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily be brave enough to wear on my own or when I go out. I live in the country, so I’m always in jeans and a t-shirt. So to have someone say ‘Try a hat’ or ‘Try a cape’ is quite fun. It’s like dressing up.
Most of your work has been live TV. Do you prefer it that way?
When you’ve done live TV it’s quite hard to get into studio stuff where they’ll say ‘Take five… take six… take seven…’ The nice thing about live, as a viewer, is the sense that anything could happen. I find live TV more fun. And I don’t get nervous doing it any more.
In your TV career you’ve done some enormously high profile shows, from Big Brother to the BAFTAs, Comic Relief and, obviously, God’s Gift.
God’s Gift - now that was brilliant TV. Bring it back! Bring it back!
What’s been the high point of them all for you?
Funnily enough, because it was my first foray into television, I really enjoyed doing God’s Gift. Let’s not get it confused with anything other than a daft programme where men ended up in their pants in front of an audience of baying women! When I took it on, I thought that it could either be the end of my career or it could be the beginning. And it ended up, for some unknown reason, becoming some sort of cult show. I had no script at all, I wrote everything, it was completely mad, freeform television, that was really good fun… hugely exciting for me.
Congratulations on the birth of number three last September. What’s it like having a boy after two girls?
Well, for the first month I kept saying ‘Good girl’…‘Oh, look at her’, that sort of thing. So it took a bit of getting used to. And the whole changing nappy thing is interesting. But it’s just heaven. And I look at photos of us now. When we had two children we looked quite controlled, but now we’re a gang. I love it!
And all three of them are September babies. Do you essentially save your amorous moments only for Christmas time?
What happens, in all honesty, is that we say ‘We can get pregnant any time after Christmas, because that’ll tie in okay with Big Brother’. So we say, ‘We’ll start thinking about it at Christmas, and see what happens’. And clearly we’re just extremely compatible, Matthew and I, and it just seems that I get pregnant really quickly.
You recently made a programme about sex education for Channel 4. It’s an important issue for you, isn’t it?
Well, I just find it amazing that, with the statistics we’ve got regarding teenage pregnancy, there is still no sex education on the curriculum in this country. How can we not be teaching our children about how to have a healthy emotional life? For me, sexual welfare is part of emotional welfare. I think it would be a nation-changing decision if the government would just introduce proper sex education.
INTERVIEW WITH DERMOT O’LEARY
The Dermot O’Leary who appears on TV is friendly, sociable, funny and cheerful. Away from the cameras, Dermot O’Leary is an interviewer’s nightmare. It turns out he’s so friendly, sociable, funny and cheerful, that he can’t help but spend the day chatting to anyone and everyone, spreading his own brand of cheeky-chappy bonhomie wherever he goes. Today, at a Big Brother photo shoot in North London, it means that actually getting him to sit down and do an interview is virtually impossible. He’s permanently off getting the stylist a drink, introducing himself to the assembled crew, or talking football with the photographer’s assistant.
As a result, it’s impossible not to like O’Leary. What you see is most assuredly what you get. It is this natural charm that has seen O’Leary’s stock rise year after year since he first appeared on T4 over a decade ago. It also explains how Big Brother’s Little Brother has become appointment-to-view TV for the show’s millions of fans.
Big Brother’s almost back with us. Do you feel like it seems to come round really quickly?
Yeah in a good way, because I absolutely love it. I’ve got a really busy summer coming up, but 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.
How would you describe Big Brother’s Little Brother?
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. It is what it says on the tin, 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.
How do you keep the show fresh, after so many programmes? Will you change anything this year?
I’m not sure. The tricky thing is, you want to try and keep it fresh, of course. Already we’ve got a fair few items in development which should be really good fun. 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.
Who has been your favourite contestant in Big Brother over the seven series?
I always liked the way Shell Jubin 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.
Do you ever find that you dislike some of the Big Brother contestants? If so, does that mark the way you interview them?
I can normally empathise with them. The problem is, by the time I get them, if they haven’t behaved particularly well, they’ve been vilified. So by the time they get to me, it’s like shooting a wounded puppy - you don’t really have the heart to do it. But there have been a couple who I’ve been quite keen to put difficult questions to. I find that easier as time goes on, actually.
Do you think there will ever, in the history of TV programmes, be a worse guest on a show than Alicia Duvall [once a guest of Dermot on BBLB]?
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. 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.
I’d never realised that your real name is Sean, Dermot’s a middle name. Why don’t you call yourself Sean?
You know what it’s like, Irish parents, they’re insane. There’s some sort of tradition that if the son is called after the father, then you don’t use his first name, you use his middle name. So I’ve never been called Sean in my life. It’s weird though, to the point that now my passport says Dermot. Just because the girls in the Irish embassy, when I went in to pick it up, said ‘Alright Dermot? We’re doing your passport now. ‘ And so they’d just automatically put Dermot on it.
PROGRAMMING INFORMATION
CHANNEL 4 PROGRAMMES:
Fans can stay glued to events in the Big Brother house throughout the summer in a variety of ways. In brief, Channel 4 viewers will be able to watch:
· A live launch show hosted by Davina McCall, which sees the housemates entering the house.
· A hour-long show with highlights of the previous 24 hours in the house. (Sunday-Friday)
Live eviction programmes presented by Davina McCall.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth – new to Friday nights. Special post-eviction helpings of the debate show featuring guest presenters.
A double bill on Sunday nights, including a new one-hour psychology show hosted by Davina McCall - Big Brother on the Couch – plus an hour-long show chronicling events in the house on Friday night and Saturday.
An hour-long Big Brother’s Little Brother on T4 each Sunday, hosted by Dermot O’Leary.
Late-night streaming live from the house.
Big Brother Live Launch Show
Davina McCall presents live from the Big Brother studios where a new group of housemates will enter the Big Brother house for the very first time, live on Channel 4. Viewers will see the new housemates as they share their very first moments together and settle in for what could be the most unpredictable few weeks – or even months - of their lives.
Big Brother
The hour-long programmes will feature all the action from the previous 24 hours in the house, including tasks and nominations (Sunday-Friday).
Live Eviction Shows
Davina McCall will announce the result of the viewers’ vote and the evicted housemate will exit the house live on the show. They’ll then join Davina for their first interview, revealing all about their Big Brother experience.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth
A special Friday night edition of Big Mouth sees guest presenters and a host of panelists debate the latest eviction from the Big Brother house. The show will be repeated later that night on E4.
Big Brother On The Couch - starts Sunday 3 June, 2007, 8pm
Davina McCall will host a brand new addition to the Big Brother family, Big Brother on The Couch. The new Sunday night show will be see Davina take a look back at the key events of the week and talk to leading experts from the field of psychology about how life in the most watched house in Britain is affecting its residents.
Davina commented: "I'm really excited about doing this show. The psychologists take on our housemates has always fascinated me so to sit down and have a natter about the week’s antics in the BB house will be a treat."
Commissioning Editor, Gideon Joseph said of the new addition: “Unpicking the psychology of the housemates and tackling the big themes that emerge over the summer is going to be at the heart of Big Brother On The Couch. It will be the viewer's chance to have large Sunday gulp of insightful entertainment and is a welcome addition to the BB family of shows.”
Big Brother Live
Channel 4 viewers will have a chance to watch late-night streaming broadcast live and direct from the house every night.
E4 PROGRAMMES:
E4 continues to be the number one destination for all Big Brother devotees, who want to catch all the action as it happens.
· Big Brother’s Little Brother – Monday to Friday
· Big Brother’s Big Mouth – Tuesday to Thursday (times vary) with Fridays on Channel 4
· Big Brother: Diary Room Uncut – Saturday and Sunday (times vary)
· Big Brother Live
· Big Brother: After They Were Housemates - (Friday 25 May)
· Big Brother: According to Russell Brand - (Friday 25 May)
Big Brother’s Little Brother
Big Brother’s mischievous sibling is back as Dermot O’Leary presents the essential half-hour fanzine show, delivering all the latest news, views and access to all areas of the house. Dermot delivers his own unique insight into the latest shenanigans live from the Big Brother nerve centre, and fans can catch insider scoops on upcoming twists and the very first in-depth interviews with evicted housemates on their return to the outside world.
Dermot will be regularly joined by the housemates’ relatives, friends and workmates, who will reveal what their loved ones are really like in the outside world. In addition to all this, celebrities, journalists, psychologists and other experts will also be dropping in to discuss the latest happenings in the house.
Big Brother’s Big Mouth
Broadcast live in the shadow of the Big Brother house straight after the nightly Channel 4 show, Big Brother’s Big Mouth is a fast-paced vibrant arena for all Big Brother fans to air their views and ask the questions on everybody’s lips. In front of a live studio audience, special guest presenters will preside over a panel of experts - including journalists, celebrities, obsessive fans and friends and relatives of the housemates - will dissect all the latest news and gossip in the house. Plus viewers can get involved by calling and ranting into the Big Brother’s Big Mouth mouthpiece, emailing or texting their thoughts and becoming a member of the studio audience.
Big Brother Diary Room Uncut
On Saturday and Sunday nights, E4 viewers can eavesdrop on housemates in the most secret and revealing room in the house. In the infamous diary room chair, the housemates can grumble, gossip, cry and connive without anyone else in the house hearing or seeing them. Viewers get an extended look at what the housemates disclose about each other and life in the house, and also where they reveal the names of the housemates they’d like to nominate for eviction.
Big Brother Live
Once again, viewers will be able to keep track of all the Big Brother housemates’ activities by tuning into daily live streaming on E4.
Big Brother: After They Were Housemates
After They Were Housemates meets up with former housemates from series one to the present day, and finds out how living in the most famous house in Britain has affected their lives. Did BB2's Paul ever become an 'international rock star'? Did BB6's Craig ever get it together with Anthony? Did BB7's Nikki fulfil her dream of marrying a professional footballer? This is the definitive guide to life after Big Brother.
Big Brother: According to Russell Brand
The former front man of Big Brother's Big Mouth, Russell Brand takes a surreal look at Big Brother through the ages. Did you know that the original eye logo was Su Pollard from Hi-De-Hi and that BB4's Gos was the inspiration for the Lionel Ritchie smash Hello? Brand reveals the truth behind the phenomenon that has been Big Brother for the past eight years.
THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE
The new batch of housemates will reside in the famous Big Brother house, located within Elstree Film and Television Studios in Hertfordshire. The house is, as always, fully equipped with state-of-the-art audio and visual recording equipment to document every movement made and every word said in the house and garden, 24 hours a day. There are 41 cameras this year.
There will be one bedroom for all the housemates to share. There will also be a larder just off the kitchen area. In terms of décor, the house will have a modern feel to it, with clean lines and elegant furniture. The garden comes complete with a swimming pool.
Big Brother 8 housemates will face a mixed up modernistic sur-reality house when they arrive – nothing is where it should be. It may all look glamorous with designer mod cons but the house will be hard work for its new residents.
A giant blue roll-top bath in the raspberry pink living room will be the first indication that all is not as it should be. It’ll be like bathing in a disco with multi-coloured light panels surrounding it. But that is just the beginning…
Just cooking a meal may take team work. At the furthest point away from what appears to be the ‘kitchen’ is the housemate’s fridge/freezer – outside in the garden. The sink is on one side of the main living area, and the hotplate opposite is set amongst a wall of white cubes. But where is the cooker?
For those with an eye for pop culture, there are plenty of ‘arty’ references in the house. There’s Big Brother’s very own homage to Brit art bad boy, Damian Hurst – a split rubber chicken suspended in clear boxes. A cheeky, Warhol-inspired target is painted on the white floor in the living room and the oval cut out white and blue wall is also inspired by the Barak Architects, who the designed the 'Cheese House' building in Nitra, Slovakia.
Other objects of interest in the house include:
For the first time the Diary Room will have a lit corridor that will indicate if the room is in use, by changing colour from red to green when the Diary Room button is pushed.
Tea and toast will be a luxury the housemates may have to live without, as the kettle and toaster are locked away in a see-through box. Only Big Brother will decide when they’ll get access.
A retro 70’s designed blue and black phone is nestled on the sink bench – but who will be calling and will the housemates be able to phone home?
The white dining room table is surrounded by white retro designer chairs and stools.
A corrugated water butt in the garden will enable the housemates to collect and use water for the garden.
Recycling bins in the food storage area will help the housemates to be environmentally friendly
A closed blind on the outside of the window in the living room, but who’ll be peeping in?
One half of the living area is raspberry pink floor to ceiling - and the other half is baby blue.
Two large circular windows look onto the garden. But will it just be Big Brother keeping an eye on sunbathing housemates?
Big Brother house designer Patrick Watson says,
"It has taken 8,000 man hours to construct the house for this summer’s housemates. This year we have gone for a cleaner, more adult look, using more textures and colours to brand each area."
THE BIG BROTHER WEBSITE
Europe’s most popular entertainment website is back once again with all the latest news, video and image galleries from the Big Brother house, at www.channel4.com/bigbrother. The site will launch on the 21st May with a completely new redesign.
Last summer, the site received more than 602 million hits and this year, the definitive Big Brother resource will, for the very first time, give fans the chance to be privy to diaries from the evicted housemates. From the moment they step out of the house, they will share their experiences and inner-most thoughts exclusively with our online community.
Viewers will be able to sign up to streaming as normal with our series pass available at £7.99, and catch up on free daily episodes of Big Brother, as well as each eviction and BBLB, on Channel 4's on-demand service, 4oD. And as if that’s not enough, a free weekly podcast will be available at www.channel4radio.com - so there really is no excuse to miss out on any of the Big Brother gossip this summer.
www.channel4.com/bigbrother
CHANNEL 4 RADIO – THE BIG BROTHER PODCAST
Last year, a podcast created by the Big Brother housemates knocked Ricky Gervais off the number one slot on iTunes. This summer, the Big Brother Podcast is back, giving Channel 4 radio listeners an exclusive audio treat: The Housemates’ Radio Show, a weekly, ten-minute show created by the housemates on the day of evictions.
Every Friday, the housemates who face eviction that night have to present their own radio show that morning. They know it's their final opportunity to reach the voters. From news bulletins, weather reports, interviews and jingles, it's last-chance radio, and it's a Big Brother exclusive to Channel 4 Radio. A radio show left in the hands of the nominated housemates…who knows what will happen?
www.channel4radio.com
VIRGIN MEDIA SPONSORS BIG BROTHER 8
Virgin Media is delighted to have been announced as the exclusive sponsor of Big Brother 8 and Virgin Mobile will take top billing.
David Charlesworth, head of sponsorship at Channel 4, said: "We share so much with Virgin, in both brand and business, so look forward to pooling our expertise to create a ground-breaking sponsorship."
James Kydd, managing director of marketing at Virgin Media, added: “We’re a pioneering and innovative company so it made sense to create an alliance with a show that has genuinely changed the face of TV.
“We want to take the show to the next level by engaging viewers and pushing the boundaries of interaction across platforms in a way never seen before.
“Big Brother has always come under the spotlight and courted a lot of attention. Virgin is known for facing challenges head on and we know that our customers enjoy Big Brother because it’s the most unpredictable and exciting TV programme there is.”
The BBBM Presenter will be a guest presenter that changes every week.