If only all episodes of Big Brother were as good as Edinburgh Does Big Brother. Eight “attention-seeking” TV executives, including Roughcut managing director Ash Atalla, original Big Brother executive Ruth Wrigley, Curve Media CEO Camilla Lewis and Hungry Bear founder Dan Baldwin, were locked into the BB house for 24 hours earlier this year to see how they would survive and how much they would gossip about rival television commissioners.
Screened on stage and presented by regular BB host Emma Willis, the winner was Baldwin, who won over his housemates and the audience with his dancing and hilarious Donald Duck impression, which he goaded Atalla was “better than Trollied”.
Highlights of their stay included a giggling Atalla and Baldwin purposely getting answers wrong in a quiz so their lycra-clad colleagues got electric shocks; Sky Atlantic boss Zai Bennett (billed as a “weak booking” by Atalla) judging a pretend pitch for a show called What An Eiffel about bungee-jumping off the Eiffel Tower; and Oona King not knowing who Emma Willis was. Baldwin, who is married to Holly Willoughby, said she presents “anything that Holly leaves”.
Later, Willis drew one of the biggest laughs by introducing herself to Lady Oona saying: “I’m Emma Willis. I present Big Brother and The Voice and possibly This Morning and Surprise, Surprise.” But the biggest laugh went to Atalla after the housemates were all in bed and, having helped Atalla out of his wheelchair, Baldwin told him not to creep into his bed at night. Atalla responded: “Mate, if I come over to you, you should let me fuck you cos that would be a miracle.”
