BB2's Narinder Kaur's book, Big Brother: The Inside Story is being serialised by the News of the World, in 3 parts, starting today.

And it is making some sensational claims.

Today's first installment includes:

- BB6's Sam Heuston was left so depressed after her eviction that she slashed her wrists in front of her dad. Despite her suicide bids, Endemol told Sam they’d have to charge her to talk to a counsellor.

Sam said at first the buzz of coming out of the house was amazing — as she started a torrid fling with Blue’s Duncan James. “The hype and attention was out of this world. And I had a few celeb s***s, I was a lesbian for a week ..'

- BB5's Makosi Musambasi says BB didn’t prepare her for how much people could hate her.

She says, “I am a Christian and I was asked to stop going to church. I didn’t stop but they would point at me and said I had a bad spirit in me, a demon. All because I wore a bikini and because I had sex in the Jacuzzi.

“No one from my culture has ever gone on Big Brother and so when they give you the Talk of Doom how could they warn me about how Zimbabwe would take it if I wore a bikini?''


- BB2's Amma became depressed when the offers for work and cash dried up after the show and she returned to table-dancing. she says, “I got to talk to the psychologist on the phone. I didn’t get a face to face. I desperately needed help and I swear to God all he said was “I think you’re being silly, pull yourself together.”

- BB1's Melanie Hill also said she was completely unprepared. She says, “A producer of the show called me a few days later and at the wrap party I said to him, ‘what the hell have you done to me? I’m the most hated woman in Britain’.

“He said something like, ‘When Nick went we needed another fall guy’. They were genuinely worried though.”

She was given security for several weeks.

- BB6's Anthony Hutton says his looks have been changed for life after he was attacked in a nightclub.

However he says, “Ninety-nine per cent of it is good and the amount of girls I get! Mind you I f***ed a lot before Big Brother. Girls love a bloke off the telly — it’s so shallow but I love it.

“My mates have even got laid on the back of me, if I’m not interested they get them. There’s one mate who hasn’t missed a personal appearance yet, he’s been to all of them because of the girls ...'

- BB5's Victor Ebuwa also loved the attention when he came out of the house.

He says, “Personal appearances were chaotic. Chicks baying for my blood. One that I went to with my three mates, the chicks found out what hotel I was staying at and I came back and opened my hotel bedroom door and there was a girl lying naked in my bed.

Full article, NOTW, 13/05/07.

BB Defended.

Creative director for Endemol Phil Edgar-Jones defended the show and said every contestant receives a “Talk of Doom” - warning them of what could happen to them if they go on Big Brother.

He added: “At that stage in their life they wanted to do Big Brother and they wanted a change in their life. If life goes wrong afterwards, I think the Big Brother problem is a contributing factor but there’s lots of things that have nothing to do with Big Brother and it’s dangerous to blame just one thing.

“The people who are most disappointed are the ones who think they will win and are voted out in the first two weeks. I don’t think that’s necessarily the programs fault. What we never set out to do is make someone a star.

“We are under a lot of pressure to make a good programme, and yes, the show is edited, but however much you are edited your real personality does come through.

“We walk a very fine line and we know what we do. We take our responsibilities very seriously.

“We aren’t bad people – we don’t want anyone to get hurt physically or mentally.

“It’s only a TV show for Christ’s sake.”

NOTW, 13/05/07.

I'm sorry to hear that some of the BB housemates featured in the article allegedly had unpleasant experiences after leaving the show. Though I note that they are not all complaining & that some of the complaints are about things that have little to do with BB.

Perhaps C4 & Endemol do need to tighten their selection procedures. For example, perhaps Sam should not have been picked for BB6. Though she didn't appear particularly unsuitable whilst in the BB6 House, it might be helpful to exclude people that are so greedy in the future.

And if the post-BB care has become a little slack since the early days, & the excellent experiences of Mel, that should also be reviewed.

However, I broadly accept Phil Edgar-Jones point of view & have little sympathy with many of those featured in the piece from Narinder's book. Their BB appearance gave them money, experiences & opportunities that they would not have otherwise have had.

It's what they wanted & why they went ahead despite the warnings of the possible dangers of appearing on BB.

It's unfortunate that things may well have not have turned out as they think they should of. That's just bad luck & I don't care.

Edit. Well done to Narinder for securing an interview with Amma. We haven't heard anything from her for some time.

National Day of Reality TV Remembrance

The view from the satirical site Anorak. Hilarious.

It's here.

BB2's Narinder Kaur's book, Big Brother: The Inside Story is being serialised by the News of the World. Here is the second part.

- Makosi Musambasi believes her time during and after BB might have been different if she was white.

Makosi alson says: “Race was evident in the house daily, the house was divided because of race.”

- Victor says that BB edited out blatant racism i the BB5 House.

Victor says: “Emma was a hard one, she was trying to play the black buddy, ‘Oh yeah, I have a lot of coloured friends in Oldham, you’re my nigger, you’re my nigger,’ and I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

“You don’t drop the ‘N’ word – I don’t care who you are – and I said, ‘Shut the f*** up’. They never showed this, ever.”

- Jade’s original housemates from BB3 say she was a bully then.

BB3's Sophie Pritchard says: "I didn’t actually watch this year’s Celebrity Big Brother at the beginning because I knew Jade was going in and it made me sick.

“My mum was watching one day and I heard Jade say to Shilpa, “I find you very false and fake’ and I thought oh my God! It’s deja-f***ing-vous!”

Full article, NOTW, 20/05/07.

BB2's Narinder Kaur's book, Big Brother: The Inside Story is being serialised by the News of the World. Here are extracts from the book:

IF SOMEONE IS NICE THEN IT HAS TO BE FAKE

BB chiefs have been branded liars over this year's CBB racism row - which Jade Goody was in the middle of.

Now. in the final week of our exclusive online serialisation of Big Brother: The Inside Story two ex housemates spill the beans on what being in a house with Jade was really like.

Narinder Kaur, below,spent months tracking down former housemates from the reality telly show -and also quizzed dozens of TV and media executives for her book - out May 24.

She said: "Big brother is more than just 15 minutes of fame - it's effects are emotional, physical and social."

"Not even an international race row and the spectacle of Jade and co. being hit with death threats could deter people."



Sophie Pritchard, BB3 on Jade
"The last week was the worst; it affected me so badly. Anything I said they'd laugh and I just withdrew; it was like a witch hunt against me, and I felt powerless. Jade had this way of making you feel like poor...It totally broke me.

"When I came out of the house and saw all the stuff Jade said behind my back I was shocked and sick to my stomach at how nasty she actually was.

"She thinks if someone is nice, then it has to be fake."

Kate Lawler, BB3 winner on Jade
"The moment Sophioe entered the House, the whole House could see Jade was jealous of her - probably because she was pretty.

"She has - and I noticed it this year with her argument to Shilpa - this weird obsession with creating an argument and calling people liars."

"I do get compared to Jade as we're from the same series. I'm very proud of where I am today and that I'm not in Jade's situation."

Phil Edgar-Jones, Creative Director, Eddemol said: "All I can say is that we do warn people.

Big Brother: The Inside Story by Narinder Kaur is published by Virgin Books on May 24 for £12.99

NOTW, 27/05/07.