BB7 Audition FAQ's                                                                     <<

IMPORTANT: This is an OLD article that refers to Series 7, which took place in 2006. For details on applying for the next series, please visit our Home page and click the 'Latest News' link. Do not use the Latest News link to the right of this page, as that may take you to an old, archived news section.

1. Do I need to fill-in an Application Form before attending an audition?
No, simply choose the venue nearest you from the pop-up list of Audition Venues and Dates and try to get there as early as you can on the relevant date. Auditions start at 9am and you just need to join the queue along with everyone else. If you turn-up later in the day you should be okay, but obviously don't arrive at 9 or 10pm!

If you're invited into an audition Diary Room by the producers, only then might you be required to complete an application form.

2. I need to travel some distance in order to attend an audition; will everyone be seen by the producers?
Yes, the producers will put people into groups of about 10 and then ask them to say why they should go further.

Just to re-iterate, not everyone will make it to the next stage, which is the Audition Diary Rooms; only those people in-whom the producers are sufficiently interested will be invited to participate, everyone else will be sent home.

In the Audition Diary Room, you will be given 1 minute to talk directly to the camera and convince the production team why you should become a part of Big Brother 7 this summer. Don't sound too desperate or you may blow it!

3. Will the producers be looking for specific types of person?
They always refute this, however we can't help feeling that the production team looks to fill predetermined character roles each season.

In other words, it's almost as though the producers are looking for a mix of mouthy, flirty, dizzy, sensitive, camp, wacky, obnoxious and annoying characters etc. We can't offer any advice on how to get your personality across, apart from to say: just be yourself.

The producers will also be scouring the queues for likely candidates, but wearing a Batman costume or Lara Croft outfit won't necessarily get you positive attention i.e. they might think you're a muppet. That said, if that's what you feel like doing, Go For It!

4. I see that auditions start at 9am, but I can't make it until the afternoon. Is it worth me coming?
As we said above, you should be fine. The last auditionees of the day are often entering the Audition Diary Rooms at around 5pm. That said, it's always best to try and turn-up by late morning/ lunchtime if you can, not least so that you can soak-up the atmosphere, have a chat with other fans and prepare yourself for the audition.

5. Is it essential to attend the audition venue nearest my home town?
No, you are free to attend any of the auditions, no matter where you live in the country. This gives you an opportunity to come along even if you miss the geographically nearest audition.

6. What should I bring with me to the audition?
Depending on how well you do and how many people turn-up, it could be quite a long day. Therefore, it will probably pay to bring some light food and drink with you, along with some warm clothing and definitely a comfy pair of shoes. You MUST bring photo ID with you to bear out your identity and age. A passport or driving licence is ideal. No ID, no entry.

There will always be auditionees who take comedy 'props' with them and that may work for you, we don't know.

7. I've applied/ auditioned for Big Brother before but I didn't get anywhere. Can I apply this time?
Yep, no worries. In fact, even if you fail at one of the national auditions for Big Brother 7, you are welcome to attend another audition at a different venue if you really feel the need. Just don't blame us if you get overlooked every time; it's entirely possible!

8. How old do I need to be in order to attend an audition?
As always, you must be at least 18 years of age (by late May 2006) in order to attend, but there is no upper age limit. This ruling is not flexible and no correspondence will be entered into by us about the minimum age requirements set by Big Brother. If you don't turn 18 until, say, June, July, August or September of 2006, then forget it. Try again next year.

9. What happens after I’ve auditioned?
As always, only successful applicants will be contacted regarding the possibility of them becoming a BB housemate this year. To clarify, all people that the producers are not interested-in (by default, the majority), won't hear back.

Basically, you must accept that have not been called back if you haven't heard anything within around 6 weeks of attending your first audition. Rest assured, the production team will try hard to contact you if they're interested; that goes for all stages of the selection process, so please don't write and ask us how you got on!

10. I don't live in the UK but have seen the show and would like to apply. Is this feasible?
There's no official line on this one, but unless you have a permit in place that allows you to be here for several months this summer, it isn't going to be feasible.

Actually, because there was a lot of controversy about Makosi being on Big Brother instead of working during last summer's BB6, the producers probably won't be keen to touch anyone who's not a resident of the UK this time around.

NB. Admittedly, not many do, but if you're travelling over from another country especially for the Big Brother 7 auditions, please bear in mind points No. 9 and 13.

11. Can disabled, deaf or blind people audition for the show?
Of course, why not? Channel 4 insists that everyone is welcome to apply for Big Brother, although obviously they would have to make changes to the house to cater for certain disabilities. Still, it's not as if they can't afford to do that!

If you think that BB fans would be interested in watching you for up to fourteen weeks this summer, then go for it. What we're suggesting here is that you should definitely consider applying if you're an interesting character, but not just because you've got a disability and want to make some kind of politically correct statement.

The audition venues should all have disabled access but if you want to confirm this in advance, or need to make special arrangements, please call 0208 222 4356 and leave your name, phone number and details of the kind of assistance you require. This number is NOT for general enquiries about the audition process and any such messages will be ignored.

12. I'm planning to go on holiday this summer; shall I still audition?
Only if you're prepared to forego your holiday in the event that it clashes with Big Brother 7. Don't forget, if successful, you will sign a contract to appear as a contestant on the show. Obviously then, you'll need to be available for between 11 and 14 weeks this summer (approximately end of May to early September 2006).

Therefore, you will probably miss your holiday if chosen, but it's true to say that you could attend a few rounds of auditions and still not get chosen as a housemate. Whether you book a holiday and take the risk is up to you – if you book/ pay for a holiday and subsequently become a contestant, you will NOT be reimbursed for any money you've lost.

13. Will I be reimbursed for costs incurred travelling to an audition? Also, will I be paid anything for appearing on the show?
No, you won't be paid anything for attending an audition. You must be willing to take the risk in terms of time taken off work, your travelling costs etc.

If you make it into the house and successfully become a BB7 contestant, you will be paid a nominal fee for every week you appear on the show. This is to help you with your rent and household bills, and would be something in the region of £200 per week, although don't quote us on that!

14. I've just realised that I missed ALL of the BB6 auditions and I'm rather gutted. What are my chances of getting a private audition?
Absolutely none. Apart from the fact that it would be totally unfair to the many thousands who bothered to attend the national auditions, the production team won't have time once those have ended. At that stage, they'll be busy whittling the numbers down via group auditions for the people they've already selected.

15. Will there be any other venues and dates, in addition to the eight listed in the 'Audition Venues & Dates' pop-up on the BBO site?
Yes. Five additional venues/ dates will be added to that list as the month (February into March 2006) progresses, when the National Express sponsored 'Casting Coach' visits some further afield venues across England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. However, this mobile audition Diary Room won't have the capacity to see as many people, so please endeavour to attend your nearest main audition if possible. If you're coming to the Casting Coach auditions, remember to wrap-up warm and bring some food etc.

16. Are there any auditions in the Republic of Ireland and if not, can people from the ROI audition?
Applicants from the Republic of Ireland are welcome to attend any of the auditions detailed in the news story that lead you to this page. If you came to this page directly via a search engine, please visit our Home page/ Latest News section and seek-out the relevant article. UPDATE: The Big Brother Casting Coach, as mentioned above will be visiting Cork in the Republic of Ireland and also Derry, which is close to the border of Northern Ireland and the ROI.

17. You mention the 'pop-up' above, but when I click the relevant link to see the Audition Venues and Dates, nothing comes up. Why is that?
That's because you are using a pop-up blocker on your PC – not always a good idea as there are some legitimate reasons for using pop-up windows.

If you use Internet Explorer and have Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed, you automatically get a pop-up blocker. If turned on, you should see a message near the top of the screen telling you that a pop-up has been blocked and giving an option to allow it. If not, then go to 'Tools' / 'Pop-up Blocker' at the top of the page, and select the option to allow pop-ups from the Big Brother Online site. You will then be able to see the pop-up when you click the aforementioned link again.

If you're using dedicated blocking software, or have downloaded a Google or Yahoo toolbar with built-in blocking facility, you will need to follow a similar procedure. You can always switch-off the option to block pop-up windows.

Don't forget to check back soon for more Latest News                           < back    top