Q 01/05

Which Dutch producer created the Big Brother format?

A) John de Mol

B) Paul Verhoeven

C) Erik de Zwart

D) Joop van den Ende

Answer · why

A) John de Mol

John de Mol: his firm merged with Joop van den Ende's in 1994 to form Endemol, and though he sold his share to Telefonica in 2000, he stayed on as its...

Q 02/05

In which country did the very first Big Brother series air in 1999?

A) Switzerland

B) Luxembourg

C) The Netherlands

D) West Germany

Answer · why

C) The Netherlands

That first house was deliberately basic, with rationed food and no luxuries, to add a survivalist edge and stir up tension.

Q 03/05

Big Brother takes its name from the all-seeing leader in which novel?

A) Brave New World

B) Nineteen Eighty-Four

C) A Clockwork Orange

D) Fahrenheit 451

Answer · why

B) Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four: that all-seeing leader, whose face stares from posters everywhere, drew on accounts of Stalin's personality cult.

Q 04/05

How long did housemates stay in the first Dutch Big Brother?

A) About 10 days

B) About 30 days

C) About 100 days

D) About 300 days

Answer · why

C) About 100 days

About 100 days: the Dutch show became a hit, and within a year versions of it had launched in Germany, Britain and the US.

Q 05/05

What working title did the Dutch creators use for the concept before it became Big Brother?

A) The Fishbowl

B) The Aquarium

C) The Golden Cage

D) The Glass House

Answer · why

C) The Golden Cage

The Golden Cage: the original concept was finally made under that name in 2006, as a separate reality show.