Penny the teacher out of 'Big Brother'

The born-again Christian Penny Ellis became the first to be evicted from the second series of the Channel 4 reality programme Big Brother last night when she was voted off by more than 600,000 viewers.

Voter apathy was not a concern when it came to deciding the fate of the show's 10 contestants, all aiming to collect a £70,000 cheque by being the last left in the household. But the prospect of the prize was not the only temptation. Ms Ellis has made clear she hopes to secure a lucrative media deal as the first to leave.

After learning that she was nominated, she said: "It's really not a problem. As I said before, the first person out and the last person out will be getting the most media attention." But the teacher, who angered her employers at an east London school last week by baring all when her towel slipped after a shower, was not looking too pleased when the news broke that she was leaving.

This weekend a new housemate, Josh, will join the remaining contestants.