Big Brother UK 2009

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Scheduling Update
No fixed timeslot for BB10?



Big Brother 10 looks set to be shunted around the Channel 4 schedules for the third year running.

Confirmed schedules for Channel 4 show that Big Brother will occupy the 10pm slot on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for at least the first four weeks. I’m Running Sainsbury’s and Embarrassing Bodies will be shown at 9pm on these days.

This means that the first week will not be in competition with the final of the BBC’s ratings megahit The Apprentice. A new series of Ladette to Lady on ITV1 is airing on Tuesdays at 9pm, but would this really be competition for Big Brother?

Whether the show will air at 9pm or 10pm on Mondays and Thursdays has not yet been confirmed. During Big Brother 9, the 9pm slot generally secured more viewers.

This news comes after the decision to keep the two eviction shows on Fridays, one at 9pm and the second at 10.30pm, crushing fan hopes for one-90 minute show to air instead.

What time would you like Big Brother 10 to air at? Do you think it would fair better in a fixed slot at either 9pm or 10pm or do you think it is best for the show to move around to avoid competition?

The tenth series kicks off at 9pm on 4th June.

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BB10 couple “break up”
Channel 4 drop couple after they reveal they're over



A real-life couple picked to go into Big Brother 10 have been axed by producers, since the two broke up.

According to The Daily Star, 18 year olds Melisa Nayah Minton and Daniel Lewis from London were chosen to be BB10 housemates, and just as the pair were about to go into hiding they split.

Minton, speaking to the paper, explained that they told the producers of their break up in the hope that they’d put them in anyway. However, they weren’t so lucky, and C4 cut them both out of the lineup.

Melisa said: “We’re gutt-ed. We thought we’d be up front with them and tell the truth. But all they’ve done is dropped us. I still think it would have been great TV to put us in the house even though we’ve broken up.”

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Piers Morgan dismisses Big Brother
Piers latest star to join the bandwagon



Piers Morgan has dismissed Big Brother in an interview with the Radio Times, extolling the virtues of his own show.

When discussing the reality show, he claimed the popular Britain’s Got Talent was the complete opposite to our very own Big Brother.

“Big Brother is about celebrating the talentless.” BGT, which has experienced a dramatic surge of interest due to the Susan Boyle phenomenon, attracted around 11 million viewers last night.

“Britain’s Got Talent is 100% about celebrating talent,” claimed Piers. “It not only provokes genuine debate in a tough time for the country, it’s put Britain back on the map as a producer of talent.”

Who will be next to slam Big Brother?

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The first pictures of the new Big Brother house... and it's been credit crunched

The new Big Brother house has been revealed - but any potential housemates might be disappointed with what they see.

The show appears to have been hit by the credit crunch, with a small poky garden, and austere metal smoking area.

There are no comfy seats, and only a tiny pool for housemates to cool off - despite the expected warm weather.


Credit crunched: The smaller garden and austere outdoor area point to a pared down Big Brother for the housemates who arrive next month

The accommodation is in direct contrast to last year - when housemates enjoyed the biggest house yet.

The new housemates will arrive to enjoy the smaller lawn next month - as series 10 begins.

This year auditions in seven cities saw a record number of applicants, and there were also online applications posted on an official channel created on YouTube.

Tens of thousands applied in the hope of following in the footsteps of past contestants, some of whom have converted their 15 minutes of fame into a career.

The programme - which began in 2000 - has spawned the likes of Jade Goody and Kate Lawler, as well as short-lived moments of fame for numerous wannabes.

Big Brother starts on Channel 4 on 4 June.


Utilitarian: The smoking area will provide little comfort to housemates

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George: “BB has to up its game”
Little Brother talks Big Brother



BBLB host George Lamb has claimed that Big Brother needs to ‘up its game’ in a press interview to promote the show.

Lamb, who joined the presenting team last summer, also reveals his hopes for Little Brother this summer and what his parents think of the show, as well as other things. Here is the interview in full.

Big Brother is ten years old this year. Have you always been a fan of the show?
I was a fan at the beginning, but I’ve not been a fan of anything for a full 10 years, to be honest! So I didn’t always watch every episode of every series, but it’s kind of omnipresent – you’re always aware of what’s going on, and the last few weeks can draw you in. It’s a phenomenal beast, really.

The show’s always evolving, isn’t it?
When it first started, it was more of a social experiment – that’s what it felt like – it was like watching research in a science lab, and watching the way people reacted. Then I think there was a point where people were going in with game plans and it all became a bit contrived. So I think the answer to that is that Big Brother has to up its game. There were a couple of years in the middle where maybe they didn’t know how to respond to the people coming in with game plans, but now they’ve figured out how to do that. Certainly the last few years, they’ve got it right back on track. When I came in last year, people were saying “Oh, Big Brother’s over,” and the production team certainly showed that it’s not over. They put it back on the map a bit. I think that was down to the tasks and the people they picked.

And of course it was down to the new presenter of BBLB, as well!
Yeah, that’s what a lot of people were saying, of course! No, I don’t think I had anything to do with the success of the show last year, but BBLB was a lot of fun and we had a nice time doing it. It was always going to be tough taking over from Dermot, it was definitely his show. As a presenter, I’ve found over the years that the longer you do a show the better it becomes. You have to get into the psyche of the people watching the show, and they don’t like anything that’s unfamiliar. But every time I get into a taxi now or I’m in a café or whatever, someone will say “I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure about you at the beginning, but I really like you now.” So I’m really looking forward to doing it again, for sure.

You mentioned Dermot. BBLB was his baby, for a long time. It must be quite a difficult balance for you to strike, wanting to put your own stamp on it, but also wanting to keep a sense of continuity.
I think the format dictates that continuity. Ultimately you have to come out all guns blazing and do it your way. There were two of us doing it when we started out last time, and we were always going to be finding our feet a little bit, but I certainly feel like in the latter part of the summer, and then during Celebrity Big Brother. I felt like I was on it, and I got it, and I knew it inside out. It’s that familiarity with the show and the format that allows you to feel comfortable and do whatever you want with it. You’re not going to try anything out of the ordinary at the beginning, because people are waiting for you to fall flat on your face.

Do you get involved in coming up with a lot of the different ideas for the show?
Not that much. You help fine-tune the ideas, but it moves too quickly, there’s too much to do. We’ve got four teams on Little Brother alone, and they’re working days in advance. They’re absolutely glued to what’s going on in the Big Brother house. I might chip in the odd idea, but I certainly can’t take the credit for all the good work that they do.

Who have been the best guests that you’ve had on the show?
I know he’s almost like a regular contributor, but I love Iain Lee. I had a really good rap with him, he came back every week and we built a really nice relationship, so that was a lot of fun. Tito Jackson was quite interesting – it’s a bit odd to be talking to one of the Jacksons, but I’ve always been a fan. What else? Lisa from last year – man that was a weird experience! Most people when they come on to the show you have five or ten minutes, you have nice exchanges, you may not have each other in absolute stitches or get to know each other that well, but there’s always a pleasant vibe. But Lisa was a very peculiar lady. She was kind of in awe of the whole set up. “I can’t believe I’m on BBLB.” “Well, you are on BBLB, and now you need to talk to me!” I’d ask her a question, and she’d just be totally spaced out. It was really surreal.

How do you stay on top of what’s going on in the house?
I watch it. A lot.

Every night?
I watch it in the day, just before we do our dress rehearsal.

I imagine you don’t have a lot of time in the summer, what with BBLB and your 6 Music radio show.
I have no free time. None!

How did that go last summer? You must have been shattered.
I didn’t know I was getting Big Brother, so I’d already signed up for a fashion show with ITV. I was doing Monday to Friday Big Brother and the radio, Saturdays on the fashion show, and then Sunday on Big Brother again. I was in bits. I had three days off all summer. It was horrible. I’m not doing that again. I’ve got every Saturday off. You’ve got to be fit to do it all. I was hiking in Nepal just before last summer. This time I’m trying to sign up to the New York marathon, so I’ve got a real impetus to get fit and get in good shape. I should be okay, I’m a young boy. There are guys out there breaking roads for 14-hours-a-day. I think I should be alright.

You get to stamp your own personality on BBLB. Is that one of the things you like about the show?
Yeah, definitely. When you first start, you’re just another of these presenters who comes out and says the words at the right time and smiles at the right points. Then gradually you feel like you can be stupid and beckon the camera over where you want it to go and stuff. The guys who do BBLB have been doing it for ever, so they’re totally cool to free-form and wing it a little bit. To be a presenter, I think you have to be as you are in your own living room. The kind of presenter I want to be is like that, a lot more open and genuine. And when you first start, if you trip up, you freeze. Now, if I trip up, I just make it a gag, its part of the show. You just have to roll with it.

Your dad is Larry Lamb, who plays Archie in EastEnders and Mick in Gavin & Stacey. When you’re out together, who gets more people coming up to them?
Oh, dad, in a heartbeat! Archie Mitchell is royalty. I was at the airport a few weeks ago, and there were two young lads, and one of them said “Hello, George, how are you doing?” and we had a chat. And his mate said “Who’s that?” And he said “Oh, it’s George Lamb, he does Big Brother and Radio 6…” he named half my resume, basically, and his mate went “Nah. No idea.” And he said “You know, he’s Archie Mitchell’s son.” And the guy went “Oh my GOD, you’re Archie Mitchell’s son, oh my GOD!” So Archie’s winning hands down, for sure.

I read your dad cried when he heard you’d got the BBLB job. Is that true?
Chances are, yeah. He cries quite easily. He just gets hyped about watching his son go off and do well, as any parent does. He was massively happy. I’m sure he did cry, actually.

Does he watch the show?
Yeah, a bit. He watches it to critique me more than anything. My mum always says ‘It’s too fast paced, there’s too much jumping around’. But it’s not really geared for a 60+ audience. But they watch it to support me, and they come down and watch me. He films just round the corner at the BBC, so he pops in and says hello.

Your outfits on the show got a fair amount of attention. You’ve got a fine line in tailoring, don’t you?
Yes. All my own work! No, it’s all down to that fellow over there, Sauvage [points to a dapper-looking gentleman leaning against a wall] who’s my stylist. What happened recently was that he went down to my agent’s to talk about another one of his clients, and a bunch of people who work there saw him leave. And they told me later “This really stylish black guy came in, he had to bow tie, he had the trousers rolled up, he was properly on your style.” And I thought “Yeah, he’ll love that!” It’s his doing, not mine! He’s all over fashion, and thinking about ways to push it forward a little bit. When I first wore the bow ties there was a whole hoo-ha about it. But this year, all of the windows have got bow ties and braces in them. People like Sauvage can always spot the trends really early. And I’m fortunate enough to be able to benefit from his knowledge. It’s good to do something a bit different. There’s nothing wrong with just a great suit and looking smart, but not every day. You’ve got to put a little bit of a twist on it.

What are your hopes for BBLB this summer?
I hope it’s as much fun as the last six or eight weeks of last summer were, and as fun as Celebrity was. I loved going into work and doing that stuff. I love the buzz of doing live television. I stand in the same place every day, and the same dude counts me down, ‘Five, four, three, two, one, you’re live!’ and you just launch into it. I hope everybody enjoys it, I hope it’s not too contrived in the house, I hope everybody has fun. You can’t really do much if they’re not doing much. So more than anything I hope they’re having a nice time in the house. If they’re having a nice time, we’re going to have a great time.

Or, alternatively, if they’re not having a nice time, we can enjoy that too.
Yeah, that’s true. Whatever. Just as long as they’re having a time. But a boring time is no good. So long as they’re having fun or rucking a lot, we’ll have a great time.

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David Williams talks BB10
BB boss stays tight-lipped



David Williams, Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Big Brother, has given a press interview relating to the upcoming tenth series.

In the chat, Williams revealed that the YouTube Online Auditions for BB10 was the biggest upload contest that the video site has held in the UK, but kept tight-lipped about the new series. Here is the full interview.

You did auditions through You Tube this year, how do you think they went? Do you think it reached a new type of auditionee?
We were totally blown away by the response to our online auditions. For our first attempt at anything like this to become the most successful upload contest that YouTube have ever run with a partner in the UK is amazing. We had a huge range of people apply, from hard core Big Brother fans to an entirely difference audience, people who were unlikely to attend our nationwide open auditions.

Can you tell us anything about the new house or the new housemates; it’s usually shrouded in secrecy?
I would hate to be the one to spoil the magic of our launch show, when our fans get to see exactly who will be stepping out of their car and what their new home is going to look like for the first time. What I can say is that even after 10 different houses and over 140 housemates, Big Brother has found some never-seen-before characters and our new housemates might just be in for a shock…

What do you look for in a housemate?
There’s no magic formula for a potential housemate, but each of them has to provoke some kind of reaction in you when you meet them. You might find something intriguing about them and want to know more… or you just may never want to see them again!

How much time do you actually spend with the potential housemates before deciding whether they should enter the house? Do they always turn out how you expected once the show starts?
The Big Brother producers do the most amazing job in finding out pretty much everything there is to know about the potential housemates and spending time with them in a variety of situations. However, even with all the time and research in the world, you never really know how a housemate will react once they are in the house and once they have met their fellow housemates… and that’s what I think is the most exciting part of Big Brother.

Now in its tenth series what do you think it is that keeps the show successful?
It’s down to the housemates pure and simple. No one year of Big Brother is like any other because of the housemates. If we do our job and find some fascinating and infuriating new folk to spend our summer with, then the series keeps feeling fresh.

After ten years do you have a favourite series? What or who has made the show a good experience for you?
I honestly don’t think I can pick one series as my favourite. But, if I could create my own fantasy Big Brother series, it would probably have the fun and games of Kate, Johnny and Jade from Big Brother 3, with the agonising relationship drama of Rex and Nicole from last year, all under the evil eye of Big Brother from series 5, complete with cold showers and sprinklers in the garden!

If you had to describe Big Brother as a person what would you say?
Big Brother is like that teacher at school who you could never get the better of… and secretly had a small crush on.

Big Brother 10 begins on June 4th at 9.00pm on Channel 4.

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Davina: “It doesn’t feel old”
Big Mother reveals all



Big Brother presenter Davina McCall has said that the show ‘always feels fresh’ to her in a press interview for its tenth series.

McCall hits back at her critics in the interview, defending her eviction chats, and reflects on acting as a zombie in Dead Set. She also looks back on BB’s early years and talks about becoming Big Mouth’s host. You can read it in full here:

Big Brother is coming up again. Does that mean you’re pregnant?
Not pregnant this time! I think there must be a rumour every year now. My parents even called me up this year to ask me.

You’re on TV a lot, particularly during the summer. Do your kids think everyone’s mummy is on TV?
No, because they don’t ever see me on the telly. Big Brother is on too late for them, and they’re too young. They have been to Big Brother, but their best bit of that was going to see the special effects people at Elstree, where they met R2-D2, C-3P0, Darth Vader, Ewoks, the whole gamut. They couldn’t care less about my job or Big Brother. But my daughter Holly was quite worried that I kissed Doctor Who on Comic Relief. I had to do a lot of explaining.

Speaking of offspring, your other baby, Big Brother, is ten years old this year. Can you believe it’s been so long?
I don’t think so, because it doesn’t feel old. It always feels fresh to me. I spoke to the producer today, and he told me something that absolutely made me gasp. I love the fact that Big Brother can still make me gasp.

Even if we were to torture you, you wouldn’t tell us what it was that made you gasp, would you?
Nope, of course not. It would ruin it, and you wouldn’t like it as much if you knew what was coming. It wouldn’t be as exciting.

You have an almost proprietorial attitude towards the show, don’t you? It really means a lot to you.
Yeah. I’ve loved hosting it over the years. It’s a bit like Claudia Winkleman belongs to It Takes Two or Simon Cowell and X-Factor. I think because I’ve watched every single episode of every single series of Big Brother I feel intrinsically linked to it. And I’m really close to the people that work on it. A lot of the people have worked on every series. We’re all mates, I love these people. That continuity is really nice. In my business, you often move from show to show and don’t have a chance to strike up a relationship. So it’s just the best jolly. And I don’t think summer is summer without Big Brother.

What do you remember of the first ever night of transmission of Big Brother?
I remember the feeling of wondering if it was going to work. I knew I thought it was interesting, but I wondered if anyone else would think so. But what I thought was funny about the first series was that it got picked up as an interesting social experiment, and some of the broadsheets were covering it, saying it was a really interesting programme. Obviously it’s not cool for them to do that any more. Sometimes they dip their toe in, but they take it out again pretty quickly. I just remember questioning whether people would get it – and they totally did.

Did you have any inkling that it would go on to become the major phenomenon that it has done?
No, you never know. I’ve done programmes that I thought were going to be great, and they didn’t catch on, and then I’ve done programmes that I thought would do incredibly badly. God’s Gift, for example – I know it was on in the middle of the night, but it had quite a cult following and I remember thinking “This is potentially the end of my career.” But it worked. You never really know if something is going to work or not.

Who have been your favourite contestants over the years?
Well, last year had quite a lot of my favourites. This is contentious, but I did love Rex. I just did. When he just used to look at Nicole and go [puts on voice] “what’s wrong with you?” It was that sort of bolshie chef thing and the arrogance that was kind of brilliant. As well as the Luke and Bex romance, which is still going! I saw Luke the other day – he’s gone sort of Indie rock star – he’s got long hair and everything. Helen and Paul are one of my favourite couples. Nadia was one of my favourite winners. She was so lovely, and so overjoyed to win, it meant so much to her – so much more than the money. And Craig, as well, giving that money away when he came out – that was really special. And Brian winning it as well – that meant a lot to him in so many ways more than just the money.

While we’re talking about past contestants, there’s one who was in the news a lot earlier this year, Jade…
I think Jade’s passing was just sad for everyone, really sad. I don’t really feel comfortable discussing it – it was just very sad.

Let’s move on to your outfits. They’ve received a lot of attention over the years.
Oh God. I know, it’s so funny, isn’t it.

Do you choose them yourself, or do you have a stylist?
I have a brilliant stylist called AJ, and we choose outfits together. It’s funny how much outfits polarise people. I sometimes look at the ‘What was she thinking?’ column in a magazine and think ‘I quite like that one. Is that wrong?’ I mean, look at me. Right now I’m wearing an all-in-one pantaloon harem trouser - Hammertime! Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love a play suit. It’s good to try something different, and wear something that people will either love or hate. At least they’ll feel something. I’d much rather that than just be bland.

Do you ever turn down something because it’s too outlandish?
No, but I would turn something down because it was too ‘mutton’. I’ve come to an age where I have to be a little bit careful about how I look, in terms of dressing too young.

Do you get to keep your outfits?
Well, if I rip, tear or soil them in any way, generally speaking I have to buy it. Sometimes if I’ve got a really good relationship with the designers, and I wear their stuff a lot, then they’ll give me a couple of things. I’m not like an actress who gets stuff delivered to their door. I don’t have a model’s figure, I don’t fit sample sizes, and I’m of an age where I’m not going to be in all the glossy magazines on a weekly basis. So I don’t get reams and reams of free clothing – but what I get I cherish.

You said you’re not an actress, but you had a star turn in Dead Set, the zombie horror set in the Big Brother house. Was that fun to make?
It was amazing. To me, it felt like that – a clearing of any kind of anger or anxiety from your mind. I literally just spent all day punching doors, kicking doors, running, screaming, banging, headbutting… By the end of it I felt cleansed. They should have a zombie spa or something, where you can go and feel really good about yourself.

When the contestants come out of the house, the crowd can be very hostile. Do you always feel sorry for them, or do you sometimes think ‘You reap what you sew’?
It’s a bit of both. In my heart, I know that the crowd is playing. If you’re there at an eviction night, you know that it’s never real hatred. It often depends on how they play it when they come out. I’ve seen people be booed the second they come out of the house, and by the time they reach the round podium, people are cheering. That’s why I always say in their ear ‘It’s just panto - it doesn’t mean anything.’ And whatever you think of them, we need villains – the housemates that you loathe are great housemates. We need people to stir things up. That’s what makes it. And the crowd are part of it all too – it’s all a bit of a joke – I’ve never seen true animosity.

One of the difficult aspects of your job must be conducting the eviction interviews. People have always got an opinion about whether you’ve got the tone of the interview right, don’t they?
Yes, they usually think I’m being too soft. Friends of mine will often have a go at me about that, and I love that, because it makes me realise how much they care about the programme. But, at the end of the day, I work for Big Brother, and we asked them to go into that house. I have to get them to answer my questions appropriately. I can’t just roast them. It’s not like going on Newsnight where you expect Jeremy Paxman to roast you because that’s what he does. We have asked those people to go there, and they’ve given up enormous parts of their life to go in there, and they’ve entertained us. I would like to think that I can ask difficult questions but sometimes I like to ask a really difficult question with a bit of a smile.

Looking back, are there any interviews that you would do differently if you had the chance?
No. There are ones that I’ve been criticised for but I’m pleased with the job I’ve done, definitely.

What do you do in the way of homework? You say you’ve seen every single episode of Big Brother - do you watch it every night, or do you get in on eviction day and watch a whole batch?
[Recoils in mock horror] No, no! I watch every night. I have been known sometimes, if it’s really good – like things brewing on the romance front – to leave the dinner table at a friend’s house. And other people have joined me. Sometimes we do an early supper and then we all watch together. I often have people at my house every night at 10pm because they know that I have the hotline through to the producers. Because it’s often like 24 – they leave you with a cliff-hanger at the end of the show – and you have to know what happened, so I’ll phone the producers and find out what happened that day, and then announce to everyone “They snogged!”

What can you tell us about the forthcoming series? Go on, spill the beans, don’t give us a load of flannel.
Um… I can tell you it’s on this summer. It’ll be really good. It’s on every day. Um… oh yeah, I’m doing Big Brother’s Big Mouth.

You’ve done that before, haven’t you?
Yeah, I have. It’s good fun, because it’s a bit freer than Big Brother, and I can show my passion.

It always looks quite chaotic. Is it?
It’s completely chaotic. But I think that’s the joy of it. It’s crowd management actually, because there are always some very passionate fans on, who love that programme and get really riotous. I’m going to get a naughty step if they misbehave.

And you’re hosting a Big Brother quiz aren’t you?
I am, yes – I think it’s on the week before Big Brother starts. The contestants are ex-housemates, and it’s going to be everything to do with past series.

You’d be a brilliant contestant on that, presumably.
Well, you’d think so, but no! I answered questions on it for Comic Relief, against David Tennant, asked by John Humphries. And I know he loathes Big Brother, and he loves Doctor Who, so I was bricking it right from the start. I already felt like I was on to a loser. And I was so nervous I just couldn’t answer any of the questions. So I’d be rubbish. I’d much rather be the quiz master, and look all holier-than-thou and go “Oh this is really easy!” I’m going to say that before every question. “This is soooo easy!”

Looking ahead, then, what are your ambitions for the forthcoming series?
Just more of the same. I don’t need Big Brother to change too radically. It’s the housemates that bring the freshness in. I do like them suffering a bit – because then the joys are more joyful. So I don’t want life to be too easy.

More electric shocks!
God yes! And the other task I keep thinking about that was so awesome last year was the Japanese table tennis. The tasks are absolutely breathtaking. They are amazing. People ask me if I have any input on the tasks. Are you kidding me? How would I think up anything as amazing as that? It was all brilliant. Thriller, Okay Go, Scotch Bonnets…

How long are you going to keep presenting Big Brother for?
If you have new people in it every time, I don’t see that it will get boring. And if you look at other reality TV programmes, they are consistently taking tasks that were done on Big Brother over the summer and reinventing them for their show. This show is an innovator, it doesn’t copy other programmes. It’s unique, it’s innovative and it’s interesting, and as long as it stays like that I don’t see why it can’t carry on. And if it carries on, I’m bloody doing it!

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Diary Room Uncut axed
Show omitted from press pack



It appears that BB spin-off show Diary Room Uncut will not be returning for Big Brother’s tenth series this summer.

The E4 show, which featured Diary Room discussions and related footage set out in the style of a highlights show, is not mentioned in the BB10 press pack, suggesting that bosses have decided to axe it this year.

There is no other major news in the pack, released today, but there is interviews with hosts Davina McCall and George Lamb, as well as Channel 4’s Big Brother Commissioning Editor David Williams (which you can read by clicking their names).

Williams said: “After ten years of tears and tantrums you might think that Big Brother has seen it all.

“But the magic ingredient that keeps Big Brother constantly on its toes and audiences hooked is the housemates, and this year I have no doubt that we’ve found a new crop of heroes and villains who will soon take their place amongst the housemate hall of fame.”

Phil Edgar-Jones, Big Brother’s creative director who has worked on all ten summer series, added: “People ask me constantly, ‘Aren’t you bored of Big Brother after so long’.

“The answer is easy, straightforward and from the heart – a simple ‘no’.

“This year I hope will be our best.”

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Press Pack: What’s On The Box?



The new press pack includes information about the sheduling of the spin off shows including Big Brother’s Little Brother - read on for more information.

Big Brother’s Little Brother will run Monday to Friday on E4, this will be hosted by George Lamb. A show will also broadcast on Sunday’s during T4. The first broadcast will be on Friday 6th June at 6pm on E4.

“George Lamb continues fronting the ultimate Big Brother fanzine show, delivering all the latest news, views and access to all areas of the house. George delivers a 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. They will be joined by celebrity guests plus friends and family of this year’s housemates.”

Big Brother’s Big Mouth has been cut to one night a week exept after launch night on Thursday 4th June. It will broadcast weekly on a Friday night - times vary. It will be hosted by Davina McCall. The first broadcast will be straight after the launch show on E4.

“Broadcast in the shadow of the Big Brother house Big Mouth returns to Friday nights. The once weekly hour show screens on E4 straight after the live eviction and interview of the latest housemate to depart Channel 4, with Davina McCall. Big Mouth is an aadrenaline-fuelled and instantly reactive discussion show for the most passionate Big Brother fans to voice their opinions.

All the week’s events from the house will be discussed, dissected and digested by the audience of obsessive BB fans, plus special guest experts, journalists and celebrities. Viewers at home can get involved by ringing in live to the studio, or emailing or texting their opinions.”

There will also be the contriversial nightly live coverage on E4. Other shows include Jade: As Seen on TV which will air on Tuesday 26th May at 10pm on E4. Big Brother’s Big Quiz will air on Friday 29th May at 10pm on E4. Finally Big Brother: A Decade In the Headlines will air on Tuesday 2nd June at 10pm on E4.

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Bosses plan early eviction?
'Surprise' live show scheduled



Big Brother bosses are planning an early eviction to take place as early as four days into the new series, according to today’s Daily Star.

The red-top claims that Channel 4 have scheduled a special live show in which one of the sixteen housemates who will enter the Big Brother house on launch night will be booted out.

It will supposedly take place on either Monday June 8th or Tuesday June 9th.

A source said: “It’s the first of many surprises. We’re fed up with housemates second guessing what’s in store.”

We earlier revealed evidence that a live show could take place on Sunday June 7th, after we found that there are two empty slots on E4 the next day - an hour-long one and a half-hour long one - for BB repeats.

Meanwhile, the Star also said today that Big Brother fans are ‘up in arms’ after Channel 4 axed the live feed, with some threatening to boycott the show.

One viewer, named Michelle Smith, said: “We’ll only see what they want us to see. They can fix who they want to win by only showing their good bits.”

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Presenter press images released
Two of Davina, one of George



Channel 4 have released this year’s publicity images of Big Brother presenters Davina McCall and George Lamb.

There are two pictures of Davina, who will front Big Mouth this year as well as live shows, and one of BBLB host George, as well as one of the duo together against an eye logo backdrop.

You can see the pics here:

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E4 broadcasts Big Quiz advert
Pre-series promotion continues



A new advert for Big Brother’s Big Quiz debuted on E4 tonight as the channel continues to promote its pre-Big Brother 10 specials.

The promo, which originally aired at around 11.34pm yesterday, is almost identical to the previous one advertising Jade: As Seen On TV except for the end frame, which has been changed to a shot of host Davina McCall.

You can see the advert here:

Big Quiz Advert

Big Quiz features team captains Bob Mortimer, Jack Whitehall, Jamelia and Jason Manford and ex-housemates, including BB1’s Nasty Nick, BB6’s Makosi, and Nikki from BB7, as they compete against each other to find out who knows the most about Big Brother.

The show airs this Friday at 10.00pm on E4.

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Davina: “People think I’m too soft”
McCall says she has to ask questions "appropriately"

Big mutha Davina McCall has defended her interviews on Big Brother, saying she can’t be like Newsnight.

Davina, who has had criticism in the past for her interviewing style on BB (the Jade controversy springs to mind), told The Sun that she “can’t just roast them” as they have given up their time for us.

The host told the paper: “People usually think I’m being too soft. Friends of mine will often have a go at me about that, and I love that, because it makes me realise how much they care about the programme.

“We have asked those people to go there, and they’ve given up enormous parts of their life to go in there, and they’ve entertained us. I like to ask a really difficult question with a bit of a smile.”

“At the end of the day, I work for Big Brother and we asked them to go into that house,” McCall continued. “I have to get them to answer my questions appropriately. I can’t just roast them. It’s not like going on Newsnight where you expect Jeremy Paxman to roast you because that’s what he does.”

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Post-midnight start for E4 streaming
Overnight streaming on C4 and E4



As we may have mentioned once or twice, this year the 24/7 live feed has been axed, meaning you can only watch Big Brother Live when it’s broadcast on E4.

In addition, the daytime hours also scrapped in favour of repeats of shows such as The Hills, Desperate Housewives and even more Friends, meaning the only live coverage on E4 is overnight.

As previously confirmed, over the first couple of nights live streaming will be available on E4 from 11.35pm on Thursday night and 11.05pm on Friday night, with 90-minutes of streaming also on C4 from 2.30am on both nights.

Today, the schedule for the first full week of Big Brother 10 was also confirmed - and most nights streaming will not begin until after midnight.

Big Brother Live begins at 11.05pm on Saturday and then at 11.35pm on Sunday, immediately following the special extended edition of Big Brother on C4.

However, on weeknights the live streaming starts much later, with live action not beginning until 1.15am on Monday night, after the film Never Been Kissed at 11.10pm. Streaming begins on Tuesday night at 12.15am, on Wednesday at 12.25am and on Thursday at midnight, with post-eviction streaming on Friday nights not beginning until 12.15am, following the weekly edition of Big Mouth.
Live Streaming on E4

Thursday 4th June: 11.35pm-6.20am
Friday: 11.05pm-6.20am
Saturday: 11.05pm-6.10am
Sunday: 11.35pm-6.20am
Monday: 1.15am-6.20am
Tuesday: 12.15am-6.20am
Wednesday: 12.25am-6.20am
Thursday: 12.00am-6.20am
Friday 12th June: 12.15am-6.20am
Live Streaming on C4

Thursday 4th June: 2.30-4.00am (early Friday morning)
Friday: 2.30-4.00am
Saturday: 1.40-4.00am
Sunday: 1.30-4.00am
Monday: 2.00-4.00am
Tuesday: 1.10-4.00am
Wednesday: 1.50-4.00am
Thursday: 2.30-4.00am
Friday 12th June: 1.35-3.10am

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Sunday live special confirmed
Live show on Sunday night



The full schedule for the first week has now been confirmed by C4, with an extended episode on Sunday night and highlights fixed at 10pm from Monday to Thursday.

Davina will front the special 100-minute edition of Big Brother, airing at 10.00pm on Sunday 7th June:

Davina McCall hosts a special show direct from the house as Big Brother reveals some surprises that could send shockwaves through the house. How do the housemates cope with life under Big Brother’s rules?

Exec Prod: Sharon Powers; Series Editors: Adam Barry, Daniel Marlowe, Katy Smith; Prod Co: Brighter Pictures (an Endemol company)

In a last minute decision, Big Brother was rescheduled to 10pm to avoid clashing with the final of The Apprentice, which has been bought forward to Sunday. It is possible it will still clash with the follow up programme, The Apprentice: You’re Hired.

Originally the Sunday night special had been due to air in two parts, accompanying Alan Carr’s new Sunday night chat show, which has now been pulled.

Nightly Shows

The nightly highlights show will air on Saturday at 9pm, and then in a fixed 10pm slot from Monday to Thursday.

C4 listings confirm the first housemate to be “publicly evicted” will leave the house on Friday 12th June, with the live eviction shows occupying the same slots as last year, with an hour-long show at 9pm, followed by a 30-minute show at 10.35pm.

C4 will also be screening a couple of hours of live streaming in the early hours of the morning, plus repeating Big Brother’s Little Brother and the previous nights highlights show in it’s breakfast schedules.
First Week Schedule

Thursday 4th June: 9.00-10.35pm (Launch Show)
Friday 5th June: 9.00-10.00pm
Saturday 6th June: 9.00-10.00pm
Sunday 7th June: 10.00-11.40pm (Special show)
Monday - Thursday: 10.00-11.05pm
Friday 12th June: 9.00-10.00pm and 10.35-11.10pm
Over on E4

Big Brother’s Little Brother remains in it’s 6pm weeknight slot over on E4, with a repeat the next day at 1pm. Extended hour-long editions air on Tuesdays and Fridays, along with the usual Sunday afternoon episode which airs on T4 at 1pm, with a repeat screening at 3.05pm on E4.

As previously announced, Big Mouth has been cut back to just a single hour-long episode each week, fronted by Davina herself. The first episode airs immediately after the launch show on Thursday 4th June, with subsequent episodes airing on Friday nights folowing the eviction show.

E4 will also carry live streaming overnight, but the daytime slots and the 24/7 red button feed have been axed for this series.

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BB COUPLE GET ELBOW

A COUPLE chosen to steam up Big Brother 10 have been evicted already – because they’ve split up.

TV bosses shortlisted lovebirds Melisa Nayah Minton and Daniel Lewis as housemates for this year.

They thought the pair, both 18 and from London, would spice up the C4 show just like real-life lovers Mario Marconi, 42, and girlfriend Lisa Appleton, 40, did in BB9.

Melisa and Daniel were due to go into hiding abroad this week in readiness for the BB10 launch night on Thursday June 4.

But last week they told TV chiefs they had decided to separate.

The pair thought that if they were honest they would still be able to go on the reality show.

Gutted

Unfortunately for them, as soon as producers heard the news they dumped them from the final line-up.

Last night a distraught Melisa said: “We’re gutt-ed. We thought we’d be up front with them and tell the truth.

“But all they’ve done is dropped us.

“I still think it would have been great TV to put us in the house even though we’ve broken up.”

Last night a show spokeswoman refused to discuss the pair.

She said: “We never confirm or deny who’s going in the house until launch night.”

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EXCLUSIVE: BIG BROTHER SHOCK


ABOVE: Davina is set to surprise the house early

BIG Brother 10’s housemates are in for a mighty shock.

Not long after they have settled into the BB house on Thursday June 4, one of the 16 will get the boot.

Channel 4 bosses have scheduled a live show just a few days in.

It is set to be either Monday June 8 or the next day.

TV host Davina McCall, 41, will call up the house and reveal that someone’s time is already up. A source said: “It’s the first of many surprises. We’re fed up with housemates second guessing what’s in store.”

C4 commissioning editor David Williams also teased: “Big Brother has found some never-seen-before characters and they might just be in for a shock.”

Meanwhile, angry fans are threatening to boycott the show because the 24-hour live feed has been axed.

TV bosses claim it is too costly to run and that only a few thousand people ever tuned in.

Fans are up in arms. Michelle Smith raged: “We’ll only see what they want us to see. They can fix who they want to win by only showing their good bits.”

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BB LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER


ABOVE: Big Brother host Davina McCall and Big Brother's Little brother presenter

HUNKY George Lamb is all set to get stuck into Big Brother's Little Brother this year.

The cheeky presenter took over from Dermot O'Leary, 26, last year and is now ready to stamp his mark on the E4 hit.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star George, 29, pictured here with BB host Davina McCall, 41, revealed he finally feels like he owns the show.

He said: "I had massive shoes to fill when I took over from Dermot. He was the heart of the show and it was daunting to start with.

"But I really feel comfortable in the role now. We've made a few changes and I feel like the show's evolved."

As fans get ready to welcome BB back next week, telly watchdog Ofcom has rejected 500 complaints about "bullying" by American rapper Coolio, 45, on this year's Celebrity version.

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‘Big Mouth’ promo shots released
Davina trains her 'Big Mouth'

Promotional shots for the revamped Big Mouth have been released featuring new host Davina.

Big Mutha herself can be seen putting a giant mouth through its paces.

Davina will take the helm at Big Brother’s Big Mouth after the launch show on Thursday 4th June on E4. She will then front the once weekly, hour long edition on Friday nights after the eviction.

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Bring Back the Live Feed!



So here we are again. As important a part of the English summer as Wimbledon and strawberries, BB10 is almost upon us.

The controversies have already started. First, there’s only going to be one Big Brother’s Big Mouth a week, after the Friday eviction and it’s going to be hosted by Davina. I actually approve. The show was nonsense without Russell Brand. It might even bring out the best in Davina. She’ll actually have to watch.

Second, crucially, and much more shocking, is the cancellation of the live feed.

Okay, there will be some live coverage, most of it during the night, but ( judging by the current tv schedules ) it’ll only be on between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m, well after the highlights.

Back in the day, viewers with a satellite dish or the red Freeview button could find permanent coverage somewhere. Even further back in the day, ( series two, and a few others ) we actually had the choice of cameras. If something boring was happening in the garden, we could switch to the kitchen.



The claim is that this is for costs. It saves money. That I find hard to believe. All it costs is the rental of a channel – which can’t be that much on a multichannel satellite – and paying a team of people to cut the sound whenever they feel like it. How expensive can that be? Even Albania has a live feed.

But it’s all part of the general trend for Endemol - or more accurately Channel Four - to want to control the product. It’s the same thinking that has led to them pulling footage off youtube. They want us to go to the official website only.

They also want to censor the show. If they decide that Mohammed, say, is "Greedy Mo", they don’t want we the viewer to disagree. This misses half the point of the show. We want to check it out ourselves. Does he really eat as much as people say he does? I’ll make my own mind up on that one, thank you, Davina.



Much of the fun of the show is disagreeing with other people about who the good guys and the bad guys are. If all we’re getting is the Official Version, then that goes out the window. If everyone likes Nadia, and everyone dislikes Victor, then what kind of a show is it? We won’t be having big rows over it at the watercooler, that’s for sure.

Would Rachel have even won last year without the live footage? She hardly got any highlights coverage for the first five weeks. Until then, all we were getting was that she was the Boring One Who Sat on the Fence. Without live coverage Kat, Darnell or Mikey might well have won. Easy enough to edit out the pre-nomination pep talks, the self-pitying monologues, and the eccentric eating habits.

Of course, the show is edited. Of course, the producers have a bias towards certain characters. But the live feed was the vital corrective to that. Only having some, at night, when the older ones are asleep, won’t be enough.

Without it, it’s just another Hell’s Kitchen/IACGMOOH, heavily edited, not very live, not very reality tv show. No more Nomcam, either – the process by which eagle-eyed viewers watch the camera close-ups during nominations to figure out who is going to be up. So all that Monday and Tuesday rumour-mongering is going to be a thing of the past as well.



Forget about the audience, what about the housemates? It will certainly affect how they all behave to each other. During the day they won’t even have to try to entertain us. What’s going to happen to the tasks? They hardly try at these anyway, knowing if they fail they’ll still get a Chinese takeaway a couple of nights later. If they know they aren’t even being broadcast then where is the incentive? Even if they don’t know it themselves, the late entrant “brand new housemates” who are watching launch night along with the rest of us will know it.

How many times you can you watch an episode of Friends, anyway?

[Punde]

#bbuk10 @ ircnet on tukikohtana tänä vuonna. Kaikki mukaan, viime vuonna vastaavalla kanavalla tais olla joskus jopa melkein 6 tyyppiä parhaimmillaan idlaamassa!

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New advert airs
The next advert in this year's promotional campaign



A new advert for Big Brother 10 has aired today on channel 4. The new ad is practically identical to the first one in visuals but lasts a second or so longer.

The advert, which uses different audio to the previous one, seems to include a shriek/scream sound effect.

The endboard has also changed from “Launch Night” to “Launch Show”. Wowsers!

Here’s the video - listen for the haunting music!

Advert 2

What could it all mean?