Irish hopefuls knock on Big Brother's door

FAME seekers of all ages turned out in Dublin yesterday to try sell themselves in a one-minute camera stunt for a place in this season's Big Brother house.

Pink cowboy suits, bottomless trousers and ballroom dresses were all the rage as several hundred people made their play for the Channel 4 reality television show.

Grandmother Janet Jervis from Waterford was one of the first in the queue at Dublin’s Royal Dublin Society after braving the chilly weather since midnight.

Janet, 53, who was dressed in red and holding heart-shaped balloons, failed to make it through. She said: “I was looking for the love of my life.”

Sharon Powers, executive producer of Big Brother series six for Endemol production company, said they were looking for people who stood out.

“It is very difficult to put in words because there is no identikit housemate. But generally people who are charismatic, who will be entertaining, who viewers will want to watch for the summer 2005,” she said.

The lengthy queue of Irish hopefuls were looking to follow in the footsteps of Kildare man Brian Dowling who won the second series of the show, or former novice nun Anna Nolan, who now has a successful television career in Ireland after finishing second in the first series.

The Dublin audition is one of seven open interviews being held across Britain and Ireland in advance of the new series.

Applicants, who were over 18-years-old, had to show Big Brother exactly why they should be picked to take part.

Those who made it through the door were then asked to enter the diary room and sell themselves to Big Brother for one full minute. The hopefuls were then told if they made it through to the next round.

Dublin zoo-keeper Brendan Walsh thought he could handle anything thrown at him. “Being in the Big Brother house would be a bit similar to being in the zoo - except this time I’d be at the other side of the bars,” the 26-year-old joked.