The show followed thirteen contestants, known as housemates, who were isolated from the outside world for an extended period of time in a custom-built House.

Big Brother became "evil", resulting in a higher-pressure environment for the housemates, more difficult tasks, fewer luxuries and more twists.

This series also became known for featuring the Big Brother Bedsit, into which Michelle and Emma were sent, unknown to the other housemates, when "evicted" from the house.

Yet another change in the format occurred on Day 69, when the Housemate with the fewest votes to win, was secretly evicted from the house through the Diary Room.

Big Brother 5 saw the return of the psychiatrists providing commentary on events in the game, with the episodes featuring them being the highlights show after the most recent eviction.

A new spin-off programme entitled Big Brother's E-Fourum, a nod to the network, was hosted by comedian Russell Brand, and featured an audience and viewer discussion and debate on housemates and events going on inside the house.

The house was one-third smaller, and featured an elevated floor and a lowered ceiling, adding a feeling of claustrophobia.

The kitchen remained simple, with only necessities such as an oven (on which the only reference of time was located in the entire house), fridge, and sink.

The house for this series was later described as being "horrible",[3] with a member of production stating it was "designed to be as uncomfortable as possible, with none of the luxury gadgets of previous years.

On Day 15, Emma and Michelle were sent to a secret room in the House named "the Bedsit" as part of a fake eviction.

In the early hours of 17 June, some of the housemates engaged in a playful food fight, leaving the communal living area in a mess.

When Victor retaliated by throwing the same tray at Emma, hitting her in the back of the head, she raced towards him, and a scuffle ensued, while other housemates attempted to separate them.

At the beginning of the altercations, Big Brother placed security guards into the camera runs surrounding the House.

Housemates Jason, Marco, Nádia, Vanessa, and Victor were all given formal warnings by Big Brother as a result of their behaviour during the incident.

Once the major scuffle between Emma and Victor ensued, the video stream cut to a "safety shot" of the garden.

However, the audio continued, and screaming, shouting, glass breaking and Big Brother's repeated requests for Victor to come to the Diary Room could be heard.

[9] A number of viewers of the live streaming called the police over the incident, who arrived at the scene and requested a tape of the event.

[6] A spokeswoman for the Hertfordshire Constabulary stated: "Our officers are currently in liaison with members of the Big Brother production team to see whether further action needs to be taken.

The Big Brother production team has been talking to all housemates individually over the course of today with a view to sorting out tensions in the house and are closely monitoring them.

The local police have made enquiries about events in the house last night following a handful of calls from members of the public.

[16]Professor David Wilson, a criminologist working as a consultant on the series, decided to leave Big Brother.

After conducting an investigation, they concluded that the highlights show had been "appropriately edited and scheduled",[20] and had therefore not breached the Broadcasting Code.

[24] Housemate Michelle later appeared on Big Brother 10 to participate in a task celebrating ten years of the programme.