NEEDHAM MARKET: It might not be the most dignified way to get on national television, but one Suffolk man last night wowed millions of viewers by stuffing apple pies down his trousers.

School IT technician David Elmer was taking part in a viewer challenge on the Big Brother’s Little Brother Channel 4 show, part of the station’s extended coverage of this year’s 11th and final season of the reality TV behemoth.

Mr Elmer, 29, published a video online responding to a challenge set down by producers showing him shoving 40 mini apple pies into his strides in just 30 seconds.

Last night he recreated the feat live on air – stuffing 33 pies down his trousers – and laying down the gauntlet to the hopeful housemates who now need to beat his total in order to win a prize.

Mr Elmer, who lives in Stowmarket Road and works at a secondary school in Ipswich, said he was excited to discover he had been chosen and invited to London to appear on the show.

He said: “The challenge is to see how many apple pies you can stick down your trousers in 30 seconds. I did 40 in my audition video and I had about three seconds spare. I did buy 60, but I put 40 out because I didn’t think I would get that far.

“They come with an idea each week and if you do it (sent in a video) and they pick you, you go on and do it live.”

Big Brother, which has helped turn nobodies into celebrities since its launch in 2000, broadcasts every night on Channel Four while Big Brother’s Little Brother – or BBLB as it is known – is shown every teatime on E4.

It was originally presented by former Colchester schoolboy Dermot O’Leary, but after he moved to ITV to host The X Factor, BBLB is now hosted by George Lamb, son of actor Larry “Archie Mitchell” Lamb, and Emma Willis, wife of former Busted star Matt Willis.

This year’s series, which launched on June 9, features a host of outlandish housemates, all hoping to emulate the successful post-Big Brother careers of the likes of Chantelle Houghton, Brian Dowling and the late Jade Goody. It will be the last to be aired in the UK after Channel 4 decided not to renew the contract.

Mr Elmer said he was inspired to take part in the viewer challenge segment of the show after watching a previous episode. Last week a viewer took on housemate Corin in a challenge to try to blow out a candle on a birthday cake from as far away as possible.

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