Big pay day for Big Brother staff

THE people behind Big Brother are earning huge pay rises on the back of the grubby goings-on inside Britain's most televised house.

Directors of production company Endemol UK picked up nearly £4.5 million in bonuses last year, tripling their pay in the process.

The highest paid director is thought to be chairman Peter Bazalgette, the creative force behind Endemol UK, who picked up £1.5 million.

But the spoils are also being shared out among the staff who make the show. Their wages nearly doubled last year, averaging £55,000.

Accounts just filed at Companies House reveal that sales in 2003 jumped 37% to £89.8 million, but profits after the pay bonanza dipped to £988,000 from £2.5 million.

Endemol UK is the biggest independent programme maker in the country. It produces-8,000 hours of television a year, including shows such as Ground Force, Changing Rooms and Fame Academy.