'Big Brother' gets 'beefed' up

TV

13:30 15 May 2006

'Big Brother' bosses are adding an unusual housemate this year - a cow.

The contestants picked for the seventh season of the reality TV show - which starts on Thursday (18.05.06) - will have to care for the animal during their time in the house.

If show heads go ahead with their plan, housemates may even be asked to milk the cow to get their daily supply.

'Big Brother' chief Phil Edgar-Jones is quoted in Britain's The Sun newspaper as saying: "We are thinking about having a cow in the house.

"We always try to have some animals and a cow is something we are looking at."

A programme insider told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "This is going to be a great surprise for the housemates.

"We've never had a cow before. I guess the nearest we've got to having something like that is when we put bitchy Jackie Stallone in the house!"

It isn't the first time the show, hosted by Davina McCall, has featured animals.

In previous years contestants have had to care for chickens, and one year producers put a dog in the house as part of a weekly task.

(C) BANG Media International