The interviewer gave up eventually, scowling a look at the headteacher who had clearly promised cute, willing and articulate pupils for their viewing audience.
His heart beat seemed to be the only sound he could hear as it rocketed at full speed through his body, and he felt a stinging burn in his cheeks. He knew she had asked him a question, and his teacher was waving a large prompt card in the background but everything blurred up. It seemed like hours that they were standing there. The microphone was thrust in front of his mouth and the insipid interviewer was waiting expectantly, a frozen toothy grin etched on her face. When the time came for him to speak, Callum froze. Where Callum grew up, they could have all flashed the camera, stuck up two fingers and burnt an effigy of Pudsey the Bear, and it would have still been tame considering their school’s reputation. At no point were they supposed to say anything that would bring their school into disrepute. They had all been briefed by their teacher that morning on what to say. He might not have had a lot of money, and truth be told he was the recipient of hand outs more than he was able to donate, but this was one way he could help. It also had the added incentive of being for charity. Callum liked football, it was something he was good at, so his hand shot up straight away when they were looking for volunteers. Their class were fundraising for Children in Need by seeing how many ‘Keepie Uppies’ they could do in six hours. When he was little, perhaps ten or eleven, the local news station came to his school. There was not a chance on earth he would ever willingly go on television. He’d pay for that later, but the sickly sweet honeycomb with an edge of bitterness was what he needed. He had another Crunchie to calm him down. The thought of being on television in front of millions of people terrified him to the point he thought he would throw up over the sofa cushions, and that would be another reason for Whitney to be angry at him. He didn’t have the kind of luck that would dodge those long odds. They probably wouldn’t even get an audition, let alone onto the show.Ĭallum didn’t want to take that risk. It was a long shot a million to one chance. His girlfriend told him not to be so ridiculous. What harm could it do? Those were the same words usually spoken by people who were about to perform surgery on an under-anaesthetised bear. This time her words filled him with even more dread. And also that one time she had discovered he’d eaten one of her secret stash of Crunchie bars that she’d been saving. The only other time she had done that was when she thought she might be pregnant. It became less of a joke when she printed out the requirements and kept sending him links to the application form.įinally, one night she sat him down, a look of pure seriousness on her face. Whitney started off with a throwaway joke at first, mentioning how great that would be, listing all the items money of that magnitude could buy, and then suggesting what a laugh it would be if they entered.
The excitement was even more palpable when it was revealed that the prize for the winner would be a quarter of a million pounds.
Whitney was ecstatic though, having stated she’d seen almost every series on the first run, as her squeals of delight sent warning bells running through him.
Callum couldn’t say he was a particular fan he’d caught a few episodes here and there, enough to know the format and themes, but it had never really commanded his attention. Apparently, this news was worthy of a shriek that would rival an otter in heat.Īs he screwed up his face at the idea and Whitney’s reaction, he wracked his mind over why anyone would want to do such an excruciating project. Big Brother was returning and they were asking for candidates to apply for the new series.
Whitney had been watching tv one day, chatting away as she was scrolling through social media, when an advert appeared that made her drop her phone and rewind back the commercial. It all seemed to happen so fast, a mere breath and his life was changing. One step at a time you just have to get to the stage for the interview.Ĭallum couldn’t believe he was finally here.
Just smile naturally and wave, that’s all you have to do right now. He remembered what his handler told him in the car. The harsh glow of the lights obstructed his view and the relentless flashing from the cameras made him feel disorientated. The crowd littered the side, gawping up at him with judgemental faces. With tentative steps and fingers clenched to stop his hands trembling, Callum made his way along the red carpet that layered the shaky metal platform.