Big Brother 5 in 2004 was the fifth series of Big Brother in the UK, a reality show shown on Channel 4 in which a number of contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize at the end of the run.

 

Trailed as "Big Brother turns evil", it was controversial from the start. The house was smaller and more claustrophobic; there was one bedroom; and the prize money of £100,000 was reduced if housemates failed their tasks. Big Brother promised tougher challenges as well as surprises to test the minds of housemates. The makers were initially criticised for choosing contestants specifically to boost ratings, opting for people that were openly gay (Marco, Dan and Kitten), a transsexual (Nadia), a former asylum seeker (Ahmed), and a person who claimed to be bisexual (Jason, although he later revealed that this had been a fabrication to improve his chances of being selected). This feeling soon dissipated to a large extent as the personalities of the housemates overshadowed these issues.

Source: Wikipedia