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- guardian.co.uk, Friday May 25 2001 12.37 BST
Big Brother: high security
The makers of Big Brother 2 used the latest James Bond-style gadgets to prevent contestants from smuggling secret cameras or bugs into the house.
Espionage experts used the latest detection technology to vet the 10 Big Brother contestants as they went into the house this morning, with BT providing fibre-optic and radio wave detection technology to search their cases and clothes.
"The technology we have at our disposal is designed to flush out any form of surveillance device, no matter how well it has been hidden," said John Cross, head of corporate security at BT Cellnet.
"Our equipment works by sending out bursts of energy which prompts any communications device to respond, whether it is switched on or not. Fibre-optic technology allows us to inspect the lining of suitcases and the very smallest space. There is no escape."
Programme rules strictly prohibit any contact with the outside world while in the house.
Last year, Big Brother producers searched the house after newspaper reports suggested that "Nasty" Nick Bateman was accused of having smuggled a mobile phone in to communicate with his friends. No phone was found, but the producers are clearly taking no chances this time round.
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