[mrstottie]

The full Channel 4 press release, which gives full details on the interactive services on all the platforms. Sorry about the length!

Mark.

"BIG BROTHER IS BACK...

It's a 24-hour game show, a soap without a script, a live drama in which the audience decides the ending. It's wildly unpredictable, totally compelling - and it's back.
With ten new housemates, a brand new house and a set of entirely new, challenging tasks, the second series of Big Brother will start a nine-week run on Channel 4 and E4 at the end of May. And when the door closes on the latest participants, they will discover that still more surprises are in store for them, all designed to sharpen the competition.

For viewers there will be even more ways to get involved in Big Brother as the show continues to push forward the boundaries of TV entertainment to become the biggest ever interactive TV show. For up to 21-hours-a-day E4, Channel 4's digital entertainment channel, will carry live footage from the Big Brother house. Viewers will be able to select from four viewing options and make their weekly eviction vote through their remote control. News and commentary about Big Brother, as well as facts, figures and interactive games will also be available at their fingertips. In addition E4 will carry a half-hour-long magazine show, five-days-a-week, presented by DERMOT O'LEARY.

The award-winning Big Brother production team will be working around the clock again to provide daily programmes on Channel 4, including the live weekly eviction show on Fridays. And the prize-winning Big Brother website, the largest entertainment site in the world last year, returns to provide live feeds from the house, 24-hours-a-day, as well as round the clock, comprehensive coverage of all the action, news and gossip.

Those who can't reach a TV or PC screen can opt to be updated with the latest and hottest Big Brother news and gossip wherever they are, whenever they want it, via their mobile phone by choosing one of a range of packages developed by Channel 4 with BT Cellnet. For the first time, Big Brother fans will be able to keep up with the action even while they are on holiday abroad.

The Big Brother rules will be as strict as ever. The new housemates will live in the purpose-built house, cut off from any contact with the outside world. For nine weeks, 37 cameras will watch their every move and 40 microphones record their every word, both day and night.

In spite of the tough regime, competition to be one of the ten new housemates is fierce. Over 50,000 people requested an application form and around 5,000 videos were received (compared to just 700 received for the first series). Applicants are being subjected to an even more rigorous selection process than in the first series, with rounds of interviews, psychological testing and auditions. Finally, the numbers will be whittled down leaving just ten people.

Big Brother Executive Producer, Conrad Green says, "We are looking for a mix of interesting, positive and enthusiastic personalities. The ten finalists will be those who have really captured our attention, and made us want to know more. There has been speculation about how the Big Brother experience will be different for this new set of housemates but we have some surprises up our sleeves for them!"

The identities of the ten contestants must remain secret - any revelations prior to the first day of Big Brother will make them ineligible for entry to the house. Each person entering the house will be allowed one suitcase of clothes and another small case filled with contents of their choosing. Items such as watches, diaries, mobiles, electronic equipment, pens and paper are not allowed into the house.

The Big Brother house has been completely revamped with new rooms and features to allow for new challenges. Instead of the 'penal chic' style of the original Big Brother there are larger rooms decorated in a style the Big Brother team has dubbed 'cabin-fever'.

Flour, potatoes, pasta, rice and limited amounts of fish and meat are provided and a budget in the region of £1.00 per person per day, to supplement basic supplies. Vegetables will be planted and eggs available from a chicken run in the garden. The housemates can increase the housekeeping budget by successfully completing weekly tasks set by Big Brother.

Each week the housemates will nominate two of their group for eviction from the house. The final decision of who stays and who goes lies again in the hands of the viewers who will vote by phone or via E4's digital TV. The results of the public vote will be exclusively revealed live on Channel 4's Friday night show. Over the weeks, participants will be knocked out by the eviction process until just three people remain. The nation will then vote for the winner who will receive a cash prize of £70,000. The occupants are free to leave the house at any time but if they do, they walk away empty-handed.

The live Friday evening show will be hosted by the one and only DAVINA MCCALL, who will re-introduce the evicted participant to the outside world, friends and family.

Says Liz Warner, Channel 4's Commissioning Editor of Big Brother: "Big Brother was the biggest and most innovative TV project Channel 4 had embarked upon. This year, with E4's involvement, interactive TV and text messages, we are pushing the boundaries further. There's even more opportunity for the nation to get totally involved with the Big Brother house."

Big Brother is a Bazal (part of Endemol Entertainment UK) production for Channel 4.
Big Brother is sponsored by BT Cellnet.

For all press enquiries contact:
Big Brother Press Hotline - Tel 0207 306 6900
Email bigbrotherpress@channel4.co.uk
Website: http://www.channel4.com/bigbrother

For picture enquires contact:
Channel 4 Picture Publicity - Tel 0207 306 8685

THE SELECTION PROCESS

Big Brother received 50,000 requests for application forms between Dec 2000 and March 2001. Five thousand applicants proceeded to send in videos and of those, 1,000 were called in for interviews. The Big Brother team then whittled down the applications to 100 candidates, all of whom are being seen individually by Big Brother's senior editorial team for further assessment. From that group, the final ten will be selected to go into the house.

A team of mental health professionals has overseen the selection process which includes one-on-one interviews with the show's producers, group discussions and importantly, multiple interviews with psychotherapists and psychiatrists. All candidates will be subjected to a police screening. All contenders must be over 18.

All participants will have been through at least four selection filters - they will have read and understood the Big Brother rules and had at least a week to consider their participation before committing to the show. They can leave the project at any time.

A subsistence payment is made to all participants as a contribution to help pay for out-of-pocket expenses (such as rent) while they are in the house. This is a flat fee and is not tied to an individual's loss of earnings, but is based on jury service payments and is around £30 a day.


THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE

The Big Brother house has been given a completely new look by the same designer who worked on the original - Colin Piggott.

The house has an open plan living area consisting of lounge, dining area and kitchen with wood panelling and an open-air fireplace. Double doors lead from the living space out to a wood decked garden containing a vegetable patch and, of course, chickens. There are two bedrooms within the Big Brother house, each with five beds, but this time one of the bedrooms has an en suite bathroom attached to it. It is up to the participants to decide how to allocate these. The house also has a toilet and a shower room. There are cameras in all of the rooms.


THE DIARY ROOM

The participants can enter the Diary Room to share their personal observations about life in the house, and their feelings about the other house members. Participants will not hear one another's diaries while they are in the house, but the material may be broadcast.

Via the house tannoy system, individual participants can be called into the Diary Room to talk as deemed necessary. Similarly, if a participant wishes to speak to someone, they can enter the Diary Room at any point and talk to a member of the production team. Participants also use the Diary Room to nominate their fellow housemates for eviction.

If a participant chooses to leave the Big Brother house, they are asked to enter the Diary Room to explain their reasons for leaving.


PERSONAL BELONGINGS

Participants are allowed to take one suitcase of clothes into the house and one small suitcase of personal belongings (eg. books, cigarettes and photos). The suitcases will be the same size for all participants and no other bags or baggage will be allowed. Big Brother will check the contents of both suitcases before the participants enter the house and inventories will be compiled. Big Brother will also be running x-ray and bug sweeping checks on the contents of the cases.

There are further limitations. Participants are only allowed to take up to two magazines and two books and up to six bottles or cans of beer, or two bottles of wine into the house.

One of each of the following items is also permitted: toothpaste, moisturising cream, shaving foam, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel/hairspray, and suntan lotion. Any additional items needed during the duration of the stay must be purchased out of the joint weekly grocery budget.

Items banned from the house include mobile phones, radios, walkmans, CDs or CD players, computers, PDAs (Psion, Palm Pilot etc), calendars, clocks and watches, drugs and narcotics, personal medication (except in consultation with Big Brother), weapons, any electronic equipment or items requiring batteries and clothes with prominent logos.


FOOD, HOUSEKEEPING AND WEEKLY TASKS

The housekeeping budget is kept to a minimum, in the region of £1.00 per person per day. The exact amount of the weekly budget is dependent upon the results of weekly tasks set by Big Brother. Assignments are set to test team spirit and group dynamics. Big Brother will allow the group to wager a percentage of their weekly housekeeping budget on the successful completion of tasks.

In addition to supplies purchased from the housekeeping there will be dried beans, peas, lentils, enough wholemeal and white flour to bake three-to-four loaves of bread a day, potatoes, pasta, rice, limited supplies of meat, fish and poultry provided in a storage area.

Supplies are replenished once a fortnight at the production team's discretion. If all the provisions are used up before this time the participants will have to purchase more with their weekly budget.

Participants order their shopping once a week (every Saturday with delivery on Sunday) from an itemised list. Each week the participants will have to decide their priorities: do they want beer or washing powder?


LEAVING THE HOUSE

Participants can leave the house in two ways. They either leave of their own free will (and may do so at any time) or they are evicted as part of the weekly eviction process. Once a participant leaves, for whatever reason, there is NO return.


VOLUNTARY DEPARTURE

If a member of the house wants to depart they must first report to the Diary Room and give their reasons for leaving. If a participant leaves voluntarily, Big Brother may decide to replace them from a reserve short-list.


THE EVICTION PROCESS

Every Monday, each participant will visit the Diary Room and nominate two fellow housemates for eviction. Any participant refusing to make a nomination may be liable for eviction themselves. The diary room nominations will not be streamed on the website and E4 and the results will only be made public to both the participants and the viewers on Tuesday's show. The two or more housemates receiving the most votes in the participant poll are put to the viewers for the public vote, conducted via the telephone and on digital TV.

The results of the weekly public vote are announced on Friday during an early evening show, followed by the eviction itself on the Friday late night show. When a participant is evicted from the Big Brother house, no one takes their place. The eviction process occurs every week until only three members remain in the house. The winner of Big Brother is then decided by national vote and announced in final show.

Viewers can vote for the housemate they want to evict either by telephone (calls cost 25p per call) or if they have digital television, then via their remote control (costing 25p per vote). Channel 4 and Endemol will donate 5p from every vote to a group of charities yet to be decided.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES

There will be fire extinguishers in the house. In the case of fire, participants will follow a pre-practiced fire drill.

In an emergency, Big Brother will advise participants what to do via the tannoy system.

PARTICIPANTS REQUIRING MEDICAL ATTENTION

If a doctor or dentist is needed for minor treatments they will enter the house and treat the patient in the Diary Room. If a hospital (or similar) visit is necessary, the participant will be accompanied by a member of the production team to ensure that there is minimal contact with the outside world. If a long hospital stay is required, participants may forfeit their place in house.

There will be a psychotherapist available on request to all the participants for counselling. This will not be filmed. There will also be support for occupants once they have left, if requested.


OTHER HOUSE RULES

Participants must wear their radio-microphones at all times during waking hours. Microphones can only be taken off in bed and in the shower. Participants are responsible for changing the batteries in their mics at regular intervals. If participants attempt to communicate without the cameras or microphones recording the communication (eg tampering with microphones, writing secret messages, mouthing words off camera) or if they try to tamper with, or cover recording equipment, the production team reserve the right to expel them from the house.

If a participant behaves inappropriately they may be required to leave the house immediately. The participants of the Big Brother project are not allowed to talk to the media prior to entering the house.


THE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF THE HOUSE

The Big Brother house is fully equipped with the following state-of-the-art audio and visual recording equipment to document every movement and every word of all participants in the house and garden.

Five manned Hitachi broadcast cameras follow participants from behind one-way glass, sound proofing runs within the house.
Producers in the control room operate an additional 13 cameras fitted to remotely controlled pan and tilt heads.
A further 13 fixed cameras ensure that every area of the house and garden environment is under surveillance.
Over 40 microphones provide comprehensive audio coverage.
Every participant wears a compulsory radio microphone.
A tannoy system allows the voice of Big Brother to issue instructions to the house members.
Thirty-five monitors are housed within the control room, watched over by a 24-hour production team of directors and vision mixers.
Fifteen kilometres of cable have been used in the technical construction of the Big Brother house.
Two thousand radio mic batteries will be used throughout the series.
Nine thousand hours of tape will be recorded.
150 producers, directors, editors and webmasters work to bring Big Brother to terrestial tv, digital tv and the web.
60 crew members bring each nightly show to your TV screen.
It takes over 20 web experts to bring the 24 hour live streaming to your PC.
The Big Brother team work round the clock and even at midnight there are three producers and two directors on duty, plus 22 other crew members.


CHANNEL 4 PROGRAMMES

Daily shows on Channel 4 will bring viewers the absolute 'must-see' moments from the house. A team of Big Brother directors and producers will carefully select the most compelling
footage from the previous day.

Friday nights will be home to the two 'eviction night' show, where viewers can see every week's dramatic climax live and upclose. A weekend extended show will be ideal for those viewers who have been mad enough to miss the week's action, and will also feature lots of
unseen footage from during the week, just to keep viewers on their toes.

Plus, every week, an hour long extended programme will feature insightful analysis of group behaviour in the house, from a team of expert psychoanalysts. A massive hit last year, the psychological report is once again bound to be one of the most talked
about aspects of the show.

E4 AND INTERACTIVE TELEVISION

E4 will also have a live, daily, half hour show - Big Brother's Little Brother (working title) which will really get under the skin of Big Brother. Relatives, friends and work colleagues will join host DERMOT O'LEARY in the studio along with celebrities, journalists and psychologists to discuss developments in the house. Phone-ins, mind boggling statistics and exclusive interviews with evictees will make this a must for all dedicated Big Brother fans.

With the advent of E4, Big Brother fans will be able to keep up with the action from the house for up to 21 hours a day. Live feeds will start after the Channel 4 shows end and continue until 5.30pm the following day, when E4's usual schedule resumes. Viewers with interactive facilities will be able to choose to watch one of two live feeds from the house or delayed footage from earlier in the day, vote via their remote control, and get the latest news from the house.

Full details of the interactive services provided are given below.

*times may vary

Viewers watching Big Brother via E4 on digital television can become even more involved in the action with a level of interactivity not previously available on analogue TV. The Interactive services will be available to subscribers of Sky, NTL and ONdigital. Telewest and NTL subscribers will also be able to play the interactive game 'E-Victor', which will test their Big Brother knowledge.



Sky
The Big Brother interactive service will be available on E4 from about 11 pm to 8 pm (21 hours per day), during the run of the series.

The central feature of the interactive application on Sky is the option to choose which video feed they want to watch from the house. In the main screen viewers will see four different video feeds: two live from the house and two delayed so that they can catch up on what they have missed.

During periods of eviction voting, viewers will be able to vote the contestant that they want to leave the house directly through their remote control (votes cost 25p including donation to charity). There will also be other fun polls about house activity, quiz questions designed to test fans' knowledge, and facts and figures on all the action inside.

NTL (ex C&W digital customers only)
NTL customers can access their interactive application by pressing the red button on their remote control when they tune to E4. As well as seeing a live feed from the house, viewers will have access to the information 'ticker' with up-to-the-minute details of everything that's going on, as well as all the facts and figures they want to know.

Additionally, viewers will be able to vote out the nominated evictees directly through their remote control (Votes cost 25p including a donation to charity).

Telewest/NTL
Developed by Two-Way TV, 'E-Victor' is an interactive TV game which tests how much the player knows about what's going on in the Big Brother house. Players navigate their chosen housemate around the Big Brother house answering questions and evicting the other contestants as they go until they are the last one left. The faster they do it, the higher their score, which can also be improved if the game is completed in as few moves as possible.

ONdigital
When viewers tune to E4 on ONdigital, they will be able to launch the Big Brother application by pressing the red button on their remote control. The application will lie on top of the main E4 feed on screen and will provide an information ticker similar to that described above as well as details on how to vote out the week's nominated evictees. ONdigital customers will be able to receive all the services NTL customers can receive but will not be able to vote via their remote control.

THE BIG BROTHER WEBSITE

The Big Brother Website is set to dominate the Internet again this series. Last year the Big Brother Website generated over 200 million page impressions making it the most popular entertainment site on the Web.

This year the site resources have significantly grown, which employ state-of-the-art technology. There will be four video streams direct from the Big Brother house so that followers can watch the housemates 24 hours a day. As well as Live Mix A and Live Mix B, there will be 'Fave Cam', a constant video stream dedicated exclusively to the current most popular housemate, while 'Pan Cam' is a centrally located panoramic camera which the user can turn through 360° via their own internet connection.

A team of over 20 editorial staff will be monitoring all activity in the Big Brother house, 24 hours a day and supplying constant bulletins.

Fans will be given the opportunity to cast their votes and give their opinions in the regular online polls about activites in the house, and to influence a whole range of specifics that effect the daily life of the participants so that the user can play at being Big Brother.

The website will also offer:

A comprehensive news section featuring regular updates (and video grabs).
A complete archive of all previous news stories.
Virtual tours of the Big Brother house.
Backgrounds and biographies of all the housemates.
Downloadable 'wallpaper' to customise computer displays.
Chatrooms with other fans of the series.
A number of specially created Big Brother games.
An online shop for the latest Big Brother merchandise.
Big Brother information - answers to frequently asked questions.
Unique behind-the-scenes footage.
Users can sign up for Email news direct to their computers.
The Big Brother website has been developed for Channel 4 by Endelmol UK and Terra-Lycos with design and build by Victoria Real.




MOBILE PHONE SERVICES

Channel 4 in conjuction with BT Cellnet are producing an exciting portfolio of exclusive Big Brother services that people can access wherever they are, whenever they want - all via their mobile phone. Mobile phone owners will be kept up to date with the latest and hottest Big Brother news and gossip with three special packages. These packages will enable Big Brother fans, for the first time ever, to keep up with the action even while they are on holiday abroad.

These are:

Standard Service - a free service that allows mobile phone users on all UK networks to keep up to date with all the important news and gossip from the Big Brother house. Text message alerts will inform fans of the latest developments, with more in-depth information available on a special Big Brother hotline. An exclusive Big Brother audio-line will allow people to listen in to the latest goings-on in the house. To subscribe for these services people will simply log onto the Big Brother website and register their mobile phone number.
Premium Service - available to mobile phone users on all UK networks by purchasing a special voucher from a range of leading retailers. Subscribers will be able to personalise their own service from the large selection of text alerts, ring tones and icons and will feature all of the above; plus the choice of a wide range of other services including eviction news updates, exclusive gossip - who's doing what, and with whom, Big Brother competitions, latest news on the Big Brother 'tasks', and exclusive icons and ring-tones to download.
Big Brother additional services exclusive to BT Cellnet customers. Fans on BT Cellnet and Genie can also access a range of constantly updated Big Brother exclusive services. No pre-registration is required. Features include Infotouch - a unique service which gives users instant access to a wide range of information, including Big Brother - all at the touch of a button. Fans can keep up to date simply by sending key words. The requested information will be sent back within seconds by text message.
Complimenting the services for mobile phones BT Cellnet is sponsoring key areas of the official Big Brother website, including the 'meet the housemates' section and the brand new camera option which allows viewers to follow their favourite housemate around the house.

BT Cellnet is also sponsoring a unique Big Brother microsite, developed by Genie, the mobile Internet portal, to allow fans to find even more news and gossip from the Big Brother house 24 hours a day.


BAZAL/ENDEMOL ENTERTAINMENT UK

Bazal is the UK's leading producer of factual entertainment and reality programming. It is part of ENDEMOL Entertainment UK plc - the UK's largest non-broadcaster producer.

The ENDEMOL UK group incorporates two other production brands - Initial and the recently acquired Brighter Pictures - and is dedicated to producing content that works across a variety of media.

Its commercial arm, Gem, is responsible for ancillary rights across all media including the development of new communication platforms for entertainment output such as Big Brother.

The group also has a 50 per cent stake in award-winning digital media company Victoria Real (designers of the Big Brother website) and a 25 per cent stake in Zeppotron - producers of comedy content for TV, and online.

In addition to Big Brother's record-breaking success last year, Bazal has pioneered a range of influential genres, including the 'leisure-based game shows' such as Changing Rooms. These continues to be one of the most watched (and most copied) programmes on UK television, achieving audience shares of up to 48 %, and over 11 million viewers. The Changing Rooms format has been sold to 16 countries around the world and is now a major prime time success across Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA - delivering record audiences in many territories, including a 67 % share in Norway.

Following in its footsteps, Ground Force continues to pull in audiences of more than 11 million people on BBC 1, and is also a major international hit having been sold to countries across four continents.

Other ongoing peak time successes include Celebrity Ready Steady Cook - which repeatedly appeared in BBC 1's top ten in 2000 - and Food & Drink, now in its 19th year on BBC 2.

Long running daytime hit Ready Steady Cook, returned for a tenth series with a new presenter and extended format in 2000 and was instantly the highest rating show in its slot on BBC 2.

Bazal is also renowned for its popular stripped reality shows such as Pet Rescue - which has so far had 850 episodes commissioned by Channel 4 - and Brighton Rocks for Living. Also for Channel 4 was Flatmates - an innovative prime time show billed as 'Friends meets Shallow Grave meets real life'.

ENDEMOL Entertainment UK produces over 1,000 hours of programmes for all the UK's terrestrial networks, as well as for satellite and cable. Annual company sales exceed £40 million.
Following Guardian Media Group's sale of its 50 per cent stake in the company in 2000, ENDEMOL Entertainment UK is now wholly owned by Europe's leading television content multinational ENDEMOL Entertainment - part of the Telefónica group.
Telefónica is the largest provider of telecom and internet services in the Spanish and Portuguese language world, with companies in 17 countries and more than 62 million customers.
Originated by Bazal's Netherlands-based parent company Endemol, the Big Brother format has now been taken up by 17 territories worldwide. In 2001 alone the show has gone to air in Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, Argentina, Norway, Poland and Spain.



Frequently Asked Questions


1. What will be different about Big Brother this time round?
The key difference will be the contestants themselves. The house and garden have been completely redesigned (see question 2). Plus, of course, there are so many more ways for the viewer to get involved - through digital TV, mobile phones and the website. There are also some other changes but these won't be revealed until the housemates are inside the house!

2. How will the house be different?
Both the house and garden have been completely revamped. Designed in a 'cabin fever' style, the house has bigger rooms, an en-suite bathroom, a decked patio, a fireplace and many other hidden surprises in store for both the inhabitants and viewers.

3. How did you select the participants?
All applicants sent in videotape of themselves and the finalists were interviewed by both producers and psychologists to ascertain their suitability

4. How many applications did you get?
Over 50,000 telephone enquiries and around 5,000 video applications (compared to 700 last year).

5. How will I be able to get involved?
The Big Brother experience will be even bigger this year - as well as shows on Channel 4 seven days a week, there is also a new fanzine show Big Brother's Little Brother (working title) five nights a week on E4. In addition, E4 digital viewers can watch unedited action for up to 21 hours a day.

You can also log into the website http://www.channel4.com/bigbrother to watch the action 24 hours a day (with a choice of 4 different streams) to get all the latest news from the house. And if you have a mobile phone, services offered for all phone users from BT Cellnet will ensure you can be kept up to speed from wherever you are in the world.

6. How can I vote?
Via telephone lines or via your remote control if you have digital TV (not ONdigital and Telewest) . Each time you vote, whether it's through telephone or your remote, it will cost you 25p per vote. Of this, 5p will go to a group of charities as yet to be decided.

7. When will the first eviction take place?
The housemates will spend a full week in the house together before any nominations take place. At the beginning of the second week they will make their first nominations, with the first eviction taking place at the end of the second week.



8. What if I don't have access to any technology, can I still enjoy Big Brother?
The nightly shows on Channel 4 will contain all the most important events from the house - not forgetting the Friday night live eviction shows, an extended weekend programme containing previously unseen footage and another weekly extended show that will feature expert opinion from our team of psychologists.

9. Was Big Brother really the biggest website in the UK?
Yes, within 7 days of launch, last year's Big Brother website was the most popular site in the UK. It went on to receive 200,000,000 page impressions over a nine-week period making it Europe's No. 1 website.

10. When I get to the Big Brother website can I see into the house immediately?
Most people will be able to access a choice of 4 cameras straight away. If you have bought a computer within the last couple of years you should have the necessary software to watch the Big Brother streams. Some with older PCs may need to download the software from Real Player, which will be easily available on the site.

11. How long will that take?
For those with an average modem, downloading Real Player will take about 10-20 minutes.

12. Will it clog up my hard drive?
No, Real Player needs only around 4.7 megabytes of memory and most hard drives have much more the required capacity.

13. Do I need a special modem
You can look at Big Brother on the web through any modem.

14. What if the image quality is bad?
The Big Brother website will be using the most advanced technology to ensure that image quality is at a premium. It has been designed for all hardware with average specifications so almost everyone with a modem will be able to receive good quality web images. (If you want to watch broadcast quality action from the Big Brother house, you can also watch up to 21 hours a day of action on E4).

15. Will I get sound?
Yes - everyone with speakers and a sound card (which most PCs have as standard) will be able to listen to live action from the house. There is even a 'sound only' option so you can listen to Big Brother in the background while you are working!

16. Can I play the games on the site?
Yes, there are a range of Big Brother themed games on the site including Tamigotchi and Taskmaster. 'Flash' software is required to play these and, although most PCs will have this as standard, it will be available to download from the Big Brother website


17. How can I get the mobile phone services?
Mobile phone services (provided by BT Cellnet) means that you will be able to stay up to date with news and gossip from the Big Brother house from wherever you are. There is a standard service which you can subscribe to free via the website, a premium services you can subscribe to by buying special vouchers from leading retailers and an additional service available to BT Cellnet customers.

18. As you are sponsored by BT Cellnet, will only BT Cellnet users be able to access these services?
No, the Standard and Premium services are available to customers on all UK networks.

19. How do I use the WAP service?
Genie have developed a WAP service where mobile users will be able to access a range of information, 24 hours a day.

20. How does interactivity work on Big Brother?
Viewers with interactive facilities will be able to access Big Brother interactive applications on E4. These features will include being able to choose which video stream they want to watch from the house and being able to vote in evictions via their remote controls.

21. What about the rest of E4's schedule? Will I still be able to see Friends and ER?
Big Brother live feed on E4 will continue through the night until 5.30pm weekdays (4pm weekends) when E4's usual schedule resumes. Friends, ER, Ally McBeal and Sex in the City will continue in usual time slots.

22. How much will it cost to use the interactive facilities?
It won't cost anything to use interactive facilities. There will be a charge only for voting to evict house members and participating in polls via your remote control.

23. Will all platform providers offer interactivity?
Sky Digital, OnDigital and NTL digital (former Cable and Wireless digital customers only) will all provide interactive Big Brother applications. Telewest is unable to provide the interactive applications such as voting via remote control and participation in polls, although Telewest digital viewers will be able to watch Big Brother Live on E4.

24. What exactly is Big Brother's Little Brother (working title)?
Big Brother's Little Brother (working title) will be a must-see for all Big Brother die-hards. Running 5 days a week (Sun - Thurs) this live studio based show will feature relatives, friends and work mates of the participants, who will join host DERMOT O'LEARY in the studio. Plus, celebrities, psychologists and experts will comment on progress and statistics, polls, gossip and bizarre Big Brother facts will feature daily.


Big Brother Press Hotline - Tel 0207 306 6900
Email bigbrotherpress@channel4.co.uk"