Big Brother? What’s that?

Big Brother is the biggest reality show on TV. Take a handful of assorted housemates, lock them into a sensory-bending House and let Big Brother make the rules and you’ve got the recipe for one of the most talked about shows in TV history.

And now, it’s back, for a synapse-tweaking ninth series of unexpected action.

Essentially, Big Brother is a competition – one housemate leaves the House each week by a process of housemate nomination and public voting – until the final week. Then a public vote picks a winner who bags a fantastic cash prize.

But Big Brother is so much more than that.

Over the past eight series, lasting friendships have formed and romances have blossomed. There’s been laughter, tears, emotion and intrigue. Showdowns and drama galore – but a whole heap of good times too.

Big Brother makes the rules, and keeps the housemates guessing from the minute the famous doors close behind them until the very last second before the winner is announced.

Each week the housemates are given a shopping budget to buy their necessities – but this can swell or dwindle depending on how they do in the weekly tasks.

And no-one – not the housemates, not the public, not even Big Brother – can predict what’s going to happen in the House.

And that my friend is what Big Brother is all about.