More Big Brother violence "inevitable"

A leading criminologist has warned that fresh violence could be coming to the Big Brother house.

15:46 24 June 2004

A leading criminologist has warned that fresh violence could be coming to the Big Brother house.

Professor David Wilson resigned as a consultant to the reality television show last week, after an alcohol fuelled bust up led the show's producers to send security guards into the house.

He claims that he predicted violence would erupt if Emma and Michelle left the bedsit and rejoined the group.

Professor Wilson told The Sun: "When I realised that advice hadn't been listened to, I thought I should go. Here is a show where people have been given alcohol and clearly are falling out with and trying to assault each other.

"The house is a constricted pressure cooker with some very extreme psychological profiles. I told producers they were deliberately creating situations where there will be disruption and violence.

"The housemates are extreme types who are conflict-orientated. The problem is there's no place to hide from each other. Even the toilet door is see-through. I told producers, 'This is dangerous'."

Last week's row escalated to the stage that Emma and Victor had to be pulled off one another by other housemates, later Dan had to intervene to stop Jason attacking Marco, and Vanessa and Nadia clashed in the bathroom.

Producers of the show locked the housemates in separate rooms, sent security guards in, and returned Emma to the bedsit. The feisty Oldham lass was eventually evicted from the show, although she was never blamed for causing the fight.

Since the incident - in which plates were thrown, tables overturned, and police called - Dan has been acting as a mediator between warring factions.

Professor Wilson, who has worked with prisoners like serial killers Dennis Nilsen and Charles Bronson, feels more violence is inevitable.

He adds that the situation could be made much worse if Dan, who is facing public vote, is evicted on Friday.

Since the incident producers of Big Brother have withheld alcohol from the contestants to keep tensions from bubbling over - but eviction nights are notoriously hard on housemates and one of either Dan or Vanessa is set to leave tomorrow.