Big Brother house to become party venue

The Big Brother house is to be turned into a party venue when the series ends next Friday.

The Elstree Studios site in Hertfordshire will be available for parties at a cost of up to £30,000 (€46,600) a night.

The house will accommodate 125 party-goers if they choose to have a disco, or seat 80 at a more sedate silver service party.

It will be taking booking until the next series of Big Brother in 2003.

Event co-ordinating firm Skybridge has put together three separate packages for party-goers, with overnight accommodation available in one of the famous padded bedrooms.

The corporate package for 100 people costs about £20,000 (€31,100) and gives clients exclusive hire of the house for the night, with high security, a barbecue, disco, use of the diary room chair and a behind-the-scenes tour.

For a step up at £25,000 (€38,900), you get designer furniture and Calvin Klein and House of Fraser bed linen thrown in, plus a finger buffet, "floral decor", and "additional ambient lighting".

For £30,000 (€46,600) clients can have their entire event filmed by the 15 remote-control cameras, 13 fixed cameras, and 40 microphones which currently record the show. Organisers will provide beer, wine and vintage champagne for an additional fee.

A spokesman for Endemol UK told the London Evening Standard: "Every year we are inundated with enquiries from organisations wishing to use the Big Brother house for various corporate events.

"Having created the new house and by drawing on Skybridge's considerable experience, we are now able to make these requests a reality."