Big Brother adopts circus theme for final series

The garden features a fairground carousel - complete with horses

A carnival atmosphere will greet the contestants for the final series of Channel 4 reality show Big Brother when they enter the house next week - but they can expect little privacy.

The house has garish walls decorated with clowns and strongmen and the smoking area is a fairground carousel.

But many interior walls and doors are transparent glass - even the bathroom.

"There are circus things and it's all slightly Alice in Wonderland," said commissioning editor David Williams.

The dozen or so housemates who enter the house on Wednesday will have few opportunities to avoid each other.

"All the glass makes it feel lighter, but on the other hand you can never get away from anyone," Williams told the BBC during a tour of the property at Elstree studios in Hertfordshire.

There are animal pictures throughout the house

"You can kind of see from one end of the house to the other - which is a first."

The colourful decor is a marked contrast to previous themes in the house which have included hell and prison.

In the luxury bathroom, the densely-illustrated wallpaper features the pictures of host Davina McCall, past housemates, paparazzi photographers - and even a UFO.

There is also a mystery alcove behind the circular tub - with grass underfoot and a glass door.

Chicken theme

The bright and surreal paintings spill out into the garden where a huge bear rears up against a stormy sky.

The carousel canopy is adorned with chickens - which also feature heavily inside.

The "snug" is created out of woven wicker, and there is also a futuristic stone-clad outdoor pool.

The kitchen features a massive table with plates and crockery set in a surreal fashion below the surface behind glass.

The bedroom has a "magical nursery" feel with prints of horses and strongmen above the sleigh-like beds.

Meanwhile, slightly sinister clown faces keep watch over the main seating area. The diary room chair remains secret until launch night.

The producers have said they want to the last series to "go out with a bang"

Launch night will see 80-90 hopefuls whittled down to the final 12 to 14 housemates.

Creative director Phil Edgar-Jones said there might be some "familiar faces" in the house on launch night, but he denied there were plans to put in housemates from previous series.

"We've got some mad twists and turns because it's the last series," he said. "I want it to be a really funny series."

He said launch night would not feature contestants arriving in cars and getting booed or cheered as in the previous series.

"I wish everyone would get cheered to be honest," he admitted, "but people like to come down to Elstree on a Friday night for a little boo."

The bedroom contains four double and five single sleigh-style beds