<img src="http://www.sias.com/website/eimages/ebikeplushelmet.jpg" align="left">Despite being in the middle of an eventful trip around Europe, Elizabeth Woodcock from Big Brother 2 kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us.
Thanks very much to nicki for arranging this interview and to Elizabeth for finding the time to do this for us. It's very much appreciated - and we wish her luck with the rest of her travels!
To read more about Elizabeth's travels, it's certainly worth visiting her excellent website
HERE which is kept updated with a
travel diary and there is a
map of her journey and some lovely photos of her with her Yamaha.
BBFans: Hi Elizabeth! Whereabouts are you at the moment?
Elizabeth: I'm in Lublijana, the capital of Slovenia.
BBFans: What were the main reasons for you wanting to travel?
Elizabeth: Adventure; riding a motorbike a long way; meeting new, diverse people; and finding out about other European countries and cultures.
BBFans: Have you had any moments when you've just thought "I wish I was back home!"?
Elizabeth: Not really. There was one time when I was in Lithunania, and I felt incredibly low, tired and lonely. I needed a hug! It's great to have SMS text and email that enables me to keep in touch with friends and family.
BBFans: Have you had any scary encounters on your journey?
Elizabeth: Going 90mph on a Polish motorway and hearing squealing tyres behind, and seeing a yellow car swerving in clouds of smoke......Getting lost in a forest on a tiny Estonian island at 11pm and people zooming about on motorbikes and side cars on
the dirt tracks while drinking strong alcohol....... Large insects with enormous jaws!
BBFans: When do you anticipate you will return to the UK?
Elizabeth: I Don't know.
BBFans: Do you still get recognized by members of the public?
Elizabeth: Yes. Big Brother 2 was playing in Finland when I was there, in Helsinki, for a party. It was like the first few days in 2001 when the show had just finished - everyone recognised me. Recently I was recognized in Prague, and called over in Tallin, Estonia by a girl who 'just loved the show'
BBFans: What has been your most memorable experience since Big Brother?
Elizabeth: Picking up my Yamaha Fazer 600 and thinking about this trip ahead of me.
BBFans: You were a reserve for the 1st series of Big Brother - did you think that this would hamper your chances of being selected when applying for the second series?
Elizabeth: I didn't think about BB2 because then they didn't know there would be one. If the producers hadn't approached me and asked me to be on it, I don't know if I would have applied.
BBFans: How disappointed were you when you were evicted just one day before the final?
Elizabeth: Not disappionted at that time, after 63 days of the same place it was great......emotional, but good. There were too many other things to think about like seeing family and friends and how the programme had impacted on the public
BBFans: Have you remained in contact with any of your fellow BB2 housemates?
Elizabeth: If I was in London I would be in contact with certain people, but I am rarely in London now. A few texted me at the start of my travels to wish me luck.
BBFans: Did you have a reunion at the start of BB4 like you did for the start of BB3?
Elizabeth: There was no reunion.
BBFans: Brian, and to an extent, Helen, have remained in the public eye - do you have any regrets that you didn't pursue a showbiz career?
Elizabeth: NO!!!
BBFans: Overall, are you pleased that you took part?
Elizabeth: Yes.
BBFans: Did you get to watch any of Big Brother 4?
Elizabeth: Not much. A few minutes here and there, as I was away.
BBFans: The consensus seems to be that it wasn't as successful as either BB2 or BB3 - why do you think this was? And how do you think the show could be improved for the next series?
Elizabeth: People are cynical about Big Brother now. They always seem to want more (or so we are told). More sex, more bitching, but these are people who are on the TV - people, not soap characters. Also the media hate Big Brother and do not want to cover it. The media, TV and public relationship is important for the survival of the programme and that relationship is not going well. The media love to hate it. I don't think there should be another. They should have quit while they were ahead after Big Brother 3. The idea is no longer new, creative or innovative. But there may be another if the production company can make some cash out of it.
BBFans: Were you pleased that Cameron won?
Elizabeth: Yes, he's an Orcadian, and Orkney is a wonderful place.
BBFans: Did you see any of Teen Big Brother?
Elizabeth: I didn't see it, but a friend said two had had sex.
BBFans: Do you think it was a good idea to expose younger people to the pressures associated with the Big Brother experience?
Elizabeth: I cannot comment fully as I didn't see it, I don't know how long it was on or if it was the same format. If it was, then it would have been tough for them.
BBFans: And finally, what are your plans for the future?
Elizabeth: Ride to Live, Live to Ride....Die Free.
If you wish to comment on this interview or discuss any of the things Elizabeth has mentioned, then please do so
HERE
