Irish 'Big Brother' hopefuls get chance to impress

Hundreds of people have turned up at auditions in Dublin's RDS today in the hope of appearing on the British reality television…

Hundreds of people have turned up at auditions in Dublin's RDS today in the hope of appearing on the British reality television show Big Brother.

The auditions were scheduled to start at 9 a.m. but a number of enthusiastic applicants began queuing at around 6 p.m. last night.

There was no guarantee that the early arrivals would even get in the door. The producers of the show are scouring the queues for people who stand out and then inviting them inside to audition.

Unlike in previous years, applicants were not required to send in an application form or video. Instead those plucked from the queues will get one minute to impress the judges in one of the show's notorious diary rooms.

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The Dublin applicants will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous Irish contestants who have subsequently had successful media careers.

RTÉ has been accused of over-exposing former novice nun Anna Nolan, who came second in the first series of Big Brother. She is currently standing in for Marian Finucane on RTÉ Radio 1 and is also co-host of The Afternoon Showon RTE 1 television.

Since winning the second series, Kildare native Brian Dowling, who previously worked as a member of Ryanair's cabin crew, has established a successful career on UK television and recently presented his own show, Brian's Boyfriends, on ITV.

Ray Shah, who was runner-up in 2003, is now a DJ with Dublin radio station Q102.

Today's Dublin auditions are one of seven open interviews being held in cities in Ireland and the UK in advance of the sixth series of Big Brotherwhich will air this summer.