Big Brother 'boosts final week budget'

Big Brother bosses are reportedly tripling the budget for the final week of the show in order to rake in viewers and go out with a bang.

The Sun claims that the show's producers have been trying to persuade evictee Mario to return for the final and propose to girlfriend Lisa on air. After entering the house as the first ever Big Brother couple, Mario was evicted in week five, while Lisa remains in the compound.

Bosses are apparently keen to boost their ratings in the final week. Despite regularly pulling in an average of 3 million viewers, figures have dwindled in comparison to previous years. In 2003 the show was watched by an average of 10 million viewers.

An insider commented: "Big Brother always has its twists and turns, especially in the final week, and while we can't confirm or deny whether Mario's going back in, all we can say is watch this space."

However, the newspaper also reports that although Mario initially agreed to the stunt, he is now having doubts about proposing on TV. It claims: "He's taking himself too seriously and has backed out at the last minute."