gmb45
4th June, 2009, 05:33 AM
In the wake of the furore over the treatment of Susan Boyle in Britain's Got Talent, another reality TV show is likely to come under the spotlight.
Fragile: Welfare of the new housematres will be under scrutiny.
The 10th series of Big Brother is beginning, with producers insisting that the contestants are being well looked after.
Sharon Power, one of the show's executive producers, says BB has robust systems in place to look after the housemates' welfare, both during the 13 weeks the show is on air and after they leave the house.
This year's contestants are facing a different challenge from usual, with a probationary group of 16 spending their first days living on one room, being offered only cold porridge as food, and with no hot water for baths.
The producers want to freshen up the show and have come up with the idea of simplifying life, at least for the first few days.
The 16 will be given a series of tasks to complete to earn the right to become full housemates and compete for the ?100,000 prize, with the failures being sent on their way on Sunday.
Those who get through will then be allowed free rein of the house, with one bedroom for the boys and one for the girls and a bathroom.
"Everybody is expecting to walk into a normal Big Brother house with lots of rooms and furniture and places to go, and they will actually have this one living room and the garden," Ms Power said.
"After 10 years we are trying to come up with ways of surprising viewers and housemates.
"They (the would-be housemates) will arrive in a car and walk through the crowd as normal and go into the house.
"The first time they will realise something is up is when they walk in and find one room and a garden."
The youngest person going into the house is 18 and the oldest 40, and BB bosses have promised BB's "most diverse and cosmopolitan" group ever, with contestants drawn from "the four corners of the world".
There will be a ban on fake romances - if a couple look like getting close, housemates will be asked to decide whether they are genuine or playing up for the cameras.
Fragile: Welfare of the new housematres will be under scrutiny.
The 10th series of Big Brother is beginning, with producers insisting that the contestants are being well looked after.
Sharon Power, one of the show's executive producers, says BB has robust systems in place to look after the housemates' welfare, both during the 13 weeks the show is on air and after they leave the house.
This year's contestants are facing a different challenge from usual, with a probationary group of 16 spending their first days living on one room, being offered only cold porridge as food, and with no hot water for baths.
The producers want to freshen up the show and have come up with the idea of simplifying life, at least for the first few days.
The 16 will be given a series of tasks to complete to earn the right to become full housemates and compete for the ?100,000 prize, with the failures being sent on their way on Sunday.
Those who get through will then be allowed free rein of the house, with one bedroom for the boys and one for the girls and a bathroom.
"Everybody is expecting to walk into a normal Big Brother house with lots of rooms and furniture and places to go, and they will actually have this one living room and the garden," Ms Power said.
"After 10 years we are trying to come up with ways of surprising viewers and housemates.
"They (the would-be housemates) will arrive in a car and walk through the crowd as normal and go into the house.
"The first time they will realise something is up is when they walk in and find one room and a garden."
The youngest person going into the house is 18 and the oldest 40, and BB bosses have promised BB's "most diverse and cosmopolitan" group ever, with contestants drawn from "the four corners of the world".
There will be a ban on fake romances - if a couple look like getting close, housemates will be asked to decide whether they are genuine or playing up for the cameras.