WANNABE reality television stars will be flocking to Bolton Market later this month.

The market will be hosting a hunt for people to audition for controversial game show Big Brother.

The Channel 5 series is returning for its 17th series this year and boasting an television event that will be "bigger, bolder and better than ever".

A Big Brother casting team is touring the country looking for willing auditionees and is calling at Bolton Market on Thursday, January 21.

Manager Peter Entwistle said the market was looking forward to welcoming the casting crew and potential new 'housemates'.

He said: "We deliberated over should we do it or not but we got permission so thought lets go for it.

"We are quite used to television crews being on site but nothing like a reality TV show before.

"It's really exciting stuff. We get a good mix of people in the market but are hoping to see some of the younger generation in too.

"It's one of those programmes that you really love or hate — personally I love it, it's a guilty pleasure."

Big Brother first hit television screens in 2000 on Channel 4 before moving to Channel 5 in 2011.

The show follows a group of contestants, known as housemates, who are isolated from the outside world in a custom built house where they are filmed 24 hours a day.

Each week housemates nominate which of their number should go up in a public vote and run the risk of being evicted from the show, with the last housemate remaining winning a cash prize.

Bolton has had its fair share of participants over the years, including 29-year-old art teacher Nicola Holt who featured in the first series and was the seventh housemate to be evicted.

There was a long wait until series nine for another Boltonian to feature, this time in the form of Politics student Luke Marsden, aged 20, who was the twelfth evictee, as was Ainsley "Wolfy" Millington, a 20-year-old student and practising Shaman.

Finally Bolton found a winner in its last contestant to make it into the house, 27-year-old salon manager Helen Wood, who was crowned winner in the show's 15th series.

Anyone hoping to follow in their footsteps can find out more about the official auditions and meet casting crew in Bolton Market from 10am onwards.

To find out more email hannah.clarke@endemoluk.com or call 0208 222496.