BB FANS

Australian Big Brother To Return

Network Ten and Endemol Southern Star have confirmed that Big Brother will return to Australia's television screens next year, despite condemnation by the country's Prime Minister following last year's alleged sexual assault scandal.

In the last series, two of the male contestants were removed from the house following allegations of sexual assault involving a female contestant, Camilla. However, the police subsequently conducted no criminal investigation.

At the time, Australian PM John Howard asked for the reality show to be cancelled, saying: "Here's a great opportunity for Channel Ten to do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid programme off the air." But the networks have now confirmed it will return for another series.

Network Ten's CEO Grant Blackley said: "Big Brother is an enormous, enduring franchise; no other programme delivers the volume of television for and ratings share among viewers under 40." waveguide

November 20, 2006 05:02pm

Series seven Big Brother auditions begin

SOME Big Brother hopefuls had a disrupted night's sleep as they camped outside Sydney's Fox Studios overnight for a chance to audition for the Network Ten program.

More than 500 reality television wannabes queued outside the studios today for the first day of auditions.

Some were keener than others. Several aspirants, who had camped overnight, were forced to leave the precinct as it has "lock-down regulations", Network Ten said.

"There was no trouble, but it meant they just had to get their sleeping bags and wait around the corner,'' a spokesman said.

The hiccup did not deter hopefuls, who were put through role-playing and team-building exercises.

They were also asked about how they would behave on the set of Big Brother.

HeraldSun

Big Brother's big vision

BIG Brother babe Krystal Forscutt must have been counting herself lucky she wasn't one of those trying their luck for next year's "quality not quantity" series of the relentless reality show.

The usual show-offs and social misfits cavorted around the Hordern Pavillion, mimicking ballerinas and bowls of spaghetti as part of the Sydney auditions for the seventh season.

While a cyclone could have swept through the sparse pavilion and not knocked anyone over when Confidential visited, organisers say about 400 fans had tried out by midday yesterday.

Network Ten's head of production, Tim Clucas, told reporter Stephanie Wilson the station was looking for "quality not quantity'' this year.

"We've been saying, please, no more of the try-hards, no more wannabes who are just doing it because they want a modelling career or a television career,'' he said.

Close call, hey Krystal?

SydneyConfidential