Big Brother's big sister

Big Brother may rule with a rod of iron inside the famous reality TV house but, on the outside, it's the women who are in charge.

More than seven million people have been tuning in to watch the housemates dress up like cub scouts, bicker over food and discuss their most intimate toilet habits. They are at the mercy of Big Brother but, behind the scenes, hundreds of people are involved in making sure that the show runs smoothly. Producer Gigi Eligoloff, press officer Becky Oxley and O2 brand consultant Amanda Jennings share only one trait with Big Brother - they are never seen on TV - but without these Big Sisters the entire production would grind to a halt. Could all three please come to the diary room immediately?

Gigi Eligoloff, The producer Becky Oxley, The Publicity Manager Amanda Jennings, The 02 image maker The producer
Gigi Eligoloff has been with Big Brother since series one. Part of her job is to decide what task the housemates should do each week to earn their food budget. "The task is an intrinsic part of the Big Brother week. They have to challenge the housemates and, from our viewpoint, the best ones are always in some way character-revealing, such as the Cub Scout task."

She's no longer allowed to be the voice of BB, in case the housemates recognise her voice. "I do miss it but, frankly, it's one of the most terrifying parts of the producer's job. What if you say the wrong thing or accidentally give some information out that you were not supposed to? It's highly pressured and much more fun to watch than do."

She also makes sure that the housemates are coping with their internment. "It's impossible not to feel protective of them. But we have a very finely tuned support system and everyone is subject to intense psychological screening before they go in, which ensures they are not just robust enough for the experience but prepared for any eventuality."

While the show is on air, her average working day is about 12 hours, which means that personal relationships can suffer. "I have to be really nice to my boyfriend leading up to the series, and generally buy him lots of presents at the end. My family are used to losing me over the summers and I have the most patient friends anyone could wish for!"

Mistakes can happen
When disaster strikes, Gigi is aware that the buck stops with her. During series two she made a small but potentially disastrous error. "We had a sick chicken and sent a cage into the diary room for the housemates to put him in. Five minutes later I was watching the monitors when the housemates pointed out that there was a copy of that day's newspaper lining the bottom of the cage. Doh!"

She's not making any mistakes again; in fact, she's so diplomatic, she can't even pick a favourite from this year's bunch. "If you get too involved with one character, it means your view of what is going on in the house will be twisted, so I try to keep a distance - but it's very hard!"