Big Brother, what's all the fuss about

A.�It's been all around the world and gives everyone the chance to play voyeur. Ten people are in a house at the same time, locked away in a specially-built prefab hut (a studio complex in Bow, East London). Each week members of the house nominate the two people they would like to be evicted. The two or more people who receive the most number of votes are then shown to the public who will decide who should go. The person left in the house at the end is the winner.

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Q.� So it's been successful in the UK and where else

A.� The show was originally shown in the Netherlands, where it proved an instant hit, propelling members to stardom and keeping its TV audience hooked. A broadly similar format was sold to other countries, including Italy, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Portugal, the United States, Denmark, Belgium and Spain.

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Q.� How long do housemates have to stay in the house

A.� It all varies; the UK team spent nine weeks in the house - a total of 64 days. The Dutch version lasted 100 days; the US version 88 days.

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Q. How successful was it in terms of TV ratings

A.� A record 5.7million viewers rang in on the phone lines during the UK version and the eviction of one of the characters, Nasty Nick Bateman, was a defining point in the game/soap opera ratings battle.

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Q. Who was the overall winner

A. Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips won the jackpot which he promptly donated to his friend Joanne Harris�for a heart and lung transplant in the US.

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Q.� Are there any spin-offs or is a second series planned

�A.� Channel 5 launched the first Big brother spin-off Jailbreak which monitors 10 inmates. They had to break out of a purpose-built compound and the first person wins �100,000. There is talk of a second Big Brother but C4 are said to be awaiting results of the second Dutch version. Meanwhile, six celebrities - Jack Dee, Anthea Turner, Vanessa Feltz, Claire Sweeney, Keith Duffy and Chris Eubank - raised over �500,000 for Comic Relief when they took part in a Celebrity Big Brother recently. Comedian Jack Dee emerged as winner after spending a week in the house.

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By Katharine MacColl