Big Brother 8 - the lowdown
With just days to go until the hotly-anticipated launch of Big Brother 8, we've got inside information on what you can expect from the house and its inhabitants this summer.
Producer Rebecca De Young has worked on the show since series 3 in 2002 and she fills us in on what Big Brother 8 has in store for us all.
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.
What will the house be like?
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.
There were lots of walk-outs at the start of last summer.
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 will the house cope with the imminent smoking ban?
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 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!
Big Brother 8 launches on Channel 4 on Wednesday 30th May. Don't miss it!
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