Paul Osborne + Claire O'Donohoe
- Executive Producers

What's going to be different about this year's Celebrity Big Brother?
Well, we can’t go into detail because that would spoil the surprise but there will be more celebrities than ever before, more twists, more turns and we’re hoping it’ll be the biggest and best series yet.

What’s the house like – is it still smaller than ever? Is there any sauna or spa to keep the celebs warm?
As the house was designed with an inside/outside theme in the summer we’ve had to remodel it quite a bit for the winter weather (no-one wants to eat outside in January!). But it is essentially the same house, bold and ornate - and there will still be nowhere to hide. You’ll have to wait until launch night to see what any new features might be…

Is there a particular strategy you’re using to cast this year’s housemates? Are you hoping for another George Galloway or Pete Burns or Michael Barrymore?
There is no real strategy as such – the casting process is similar in most ways to the normal Big Brother, in that we’re looking for the most diverse and fascinating housemates as possible who will be able to entertain the nation in January.

Which of last year’s celebrities surprised you most, in terms of their experience in the house?
One of the biggest surprises was, in hindsight, the Preston/Chantelle romance. Who knew that there would ever be love in the Celebrity Big Brother house?

What do you ask the celebrities when you go to meet them? How can you tell if they are suitable for the show? Is it similar to recruiting ‘civilian’ housemates?
In many ways it is a very similar process – we ask similar questions and we make sure that any prospective celebrities have thought about it very carefully. The main difference is that we don’t have tens of thousands of celebrities applying to take part!

How far are you casting the net – in terms of nationalities or professions?
We always aim to create as diverse a cast as possible and, as has been the case in the past, we don’t stop at UK celebrities… but you’ll have to wait and see who gets out of the car on launch night.

How much information do you give the celebrities about the show? Some, like Jackie Stallone, can seem a little ‘confused’ about the Big Brother rules.
The celebrity housemates are provided with a full set of Big Brother rules well in advance of entering the house. Any confusion would only arise if they didn’t read them!

Do you think the celebrities you're talking to are getting wise to the Big Brother game and will really play along?
The viewers are always very astute – they don’t let housemates get away with not playing the game or being themselves. Also, after seven series of the summer version, Big Brother still finds ways to surprise and shock the housemates. Celebrities are no different…

How do you keep the housemates’ identities secret before they go in?
Only a select group of people know the identities of the celebrity housemates and the housemates themselves are asked to keep it secret.

Chantelle as a non-celebrity housemate was a fantastic twist last year. How are you going to top it?
That would be telling…