Rebecca
De Young
Rebecca
De Young first worked on Big Brother in 2002 when she joined
the team as a Producer in Series 3. She has also worked on the show
as House Director and Senior Producer, and was Series Editor on Big
Brother 5 and Celebrity Big Brother 3.
So what's going to be different about
this year's Big Brother?
We've got some big new plans and ideas for Big Brother 8 and
want this year's Big Brother to feel fresh, funny and very
exciting.
Did
you choose people at the auditions? Which cities had the best characters?
We work as a team casting the housemates and I was there at every venue
we visited, meeting applicants and getting to know them. The tour is
great fun because it's always exhilarating to know that each city will
bring new applicants and individuals that you might never have expected
to audition for Big Brother. Each city is unique and brings
its own unique potential housemates.
Does
it get harder each year to find new housemates? Do people try to second
guess Big Brother? Who do you rule out straight away?
Each year we have the challenge of casting a group of housemates that
are different to previous Big Brother housemates and each year
we meet new people that can do just that. Some people try and second-guess
Big Brother; some think that if they can be 'like' a former housemate
they'll stand a better chance of going in. We always tell people that
at the end of the day, the best thing to do is 'just be you'. We look
for individuals with a unique appeal who will be interesting within
a group. No one is ruled out straight away and everyone who queues is
seen by a member of the production team.
How
much time is spent with the housemates, getting to know them before
they go in? Do they live up to expectations?
We spend time getting to know the potential housemates in a variety
of different situations - in both their own environment and in environments
that Big Brother has organised. If you find an interview with Big Brother
too hard to handle, imagine how you're going to feel getting out of
a car with a thousand people screaming and millions watching you at
home! Housemates always live up to our expectations and it's really
exciting when they exceed them as we follow their journey over the course
of the series. For example, Nadia's journey in Big Brother 5 was
remarkable and very touching and the viewers clearly thought so too
when they made her the winner. She was initially unsure of how she would
be accepted and Big Brother was an incredible experience for
her.
What
kinds of tests are done to ensure the housemates are suitable to go
in the house?
We have a series of very thorough checks that all potential housemates
have before we will even consider offering them a place in the Big Brother
house. All of our potential housemates are also given something that
we call the 'Talk of Doom', where we actively encourage them to think
carefully about the impact that taking part in Big Brother could have
on their lives. It's important that, in addition to us assessing whether
someone is right for the Big Brother house, each potential
housemate thinks about whether Big Brother is right for him
or her.
There
were lots of walk-outs at the start of last summer. How do you cope
with these? What would you do in the case of a mass walk-out, or if
the housemates all went on strike?
The housemates have gone on strike before! In Big Brother 5,
when Big Brother had Stuart's cowboy hat, the housemates refused to
talk. It's one of my favourite shows. And in Celebrity Big Brother
3, John McCririck refused to speak to both Big Brother and his
fellow housemates when he didn't get any of his favourite cola in the
weekly shopping task. The beauty of Big Brother is that each
situation is completely distinctive and unique, and so is dealt with
accordingly. Some housemates decide that their Big Brother
journey has come to an end. That's entirely up to them, and just as
people are free to drop out of the audition process at any time they
choose, housemates are free to leave the house if they choose to do
so.
How
many people are working on the production this year?
At the last count it was 586 people? and rising. This is due to the
number of different shows and the fact that Big Brother is
a 24-hour operation!
How
will the house cope with the imminent smoking ban? Will Big Brother
have to act as smoking police?
As I'm sure you'll appreciate, details of the production are a closely-guarded
secret before the programme goes to air. However, this is an issue we
take seriously and one that will be addressed during the course of the
series.
What
will the house be like? Will there be extra rooms or houses next door?
The Big Brother house will have a bold style and some new quirky surprises
that are exclusive to Big Brother 8 - all will be revealed by Big Brother
in due course.
Last
year's series began and ended with romances in the house - do you think
any are likely this year, from the housemates you've chosen?
There's nothing quite like a love story but it's impossible to cast
for one - we will just have to wait and see if romance blossoms in the
Big Brother 8 house.
What
has been your favourite previous series to work on? What or who made
it such a good experience for you?
I love Big Brother and it's hard to single out any particular
series as being my favourite, because each one is such a unique experience
for the housemates and for the team. In Big Brother 7, it was
great to see housemates such as Glyn and Aisleyne learn so much about
themselves, and the Prison Task was really entertaining and very moving
when Richard got his letter from home. Big Brother 5 was a
lot of fun because we changed the way that we did some things - which
makes it exciting. There'll be plenty more of that this summer; all
I can say is, watch this space!
