The Survivorbility team unmasked outside the Big Brother house

Martyn Helliwell, founder of leading fire walking and glass walking company Survivorbility, was interviewed live on national television following the dramatic appearance of Martyn and the Survivorbility team in the Big Brother house. Featured on Big Brother’s Little Brother, the live interview was conducted by presenter George Lamb in front of a studio audience who also experienced a brief takeover by the "Special Forces" team. For more information, visit www.survivorbility.com or call 0845 8686014.

Survivorbility MD, Martyn Helliwell

"I've been on television quite a few times before, but nothing live like the Little Brother show," commented Martyn. "There was a brief rehearsal beforehand and then we were straight in. It was a real thrill as a result – there’s no time to think when you’re being interviewed, and no safety net when it’s live. You have to rely on a direct connection from brain to mouth, and hope they work together!"

During the interview, George expressed concerns about the ordeal the contestants went through, particularly Karly who withstood the "Ultimate Special Forces Challenge" to earn house mate status. Martyn allayed his concerns, reporting that whilst there had been a slight quiver of her lower lip, she was very brave. "I was actually really quite impressed with Karly," Martyn added. "She kept her head."

At the end of the interview, George asked Martyn to demonstrate the glass walking task seen on the main Big Brother show. "That was a little strange, as I’m used to doing glass walks using real glass; the glass used in the glass walks on the Little Brother show and at the Big Brother house was sugar glass on the insistence of the producers," explained Martyn. "I’d hate our glass walking customers to think we use sugar glass for the real glass walks we do!"

Big Brother housemates doing glass walk led by Survivorbility

On day two of the tenth series of Channel Four’s Big Brother show, millions of viewers watched the aspiring housemates Saffia and Charlie accept a task to earn full housemate status, only to discover that they would have to walk across several feet of broken glass to win the challenge. The glass walking task was provided by one a leading UK fire walking and glass walking event company, Survivorbility, who formed the team of menacing black-clad figures that put the housemates though their paces. However, the major difference between the TV stunt and real glass walking events run by Survivorbility was the fact that sugar glass was used on television rather than smashed wine bottles.

The decision to use sugar glass was made by the Big Brother producers due to health and safety concerns, as the contestants in the Big Brother house were not able to have the full preparation that leads up to a walk across real broken glass. “In a normal glass walking event, participants are built up in an intense motivational seminar for at least an hour beforehand,” explained Survivorbility founder Martyn Helliwell. “On Big Brother however, there simply wasn’t the time to do that, and the producers felt that it was a challenging task, rather than a motivational training event, so there was a different emphasis. Using the sugar glass still entailed a risk, as it’s very sharp, but it was considered to be less of a risk than making them carry out a normal glass walk in those conditions.”

The Big Brother glass walk serves as a motivational lesson

When asked if the footage shown on television was edited just before they walked across the glass, Martyn replied; “No, they really did just go for it without hesitation, despite the fact that they believed it was real glass. Even when they were walking across they still believed that, as sugar glass feels so realistic and I told them it was real several times. It shows what a person can achieve when truly focused,” Martyn commented. “I think this is a really amazing demonstration of how powerful motivation can be. Normally people need an hour to build up the courage to walk, but they were so motivated to become housemates that their desire to achieve that superseded any fear they felt. All of the hard work to get focused had already taken place in their minds without the need for any build up on my part. It was amazing to watch.”

Survivorbility MD Martyn Helliwell

Shock Treatment was judged one of New Zealand's top shows in the Best NZ Reality Show category of the 2006 Qantas Television Awards. The programe was a finalist in the awards, held recently in Auckland.

A dozen New Zealand celebrities pair up to take part in six very different experiences around the globe in Shock Treatment. And these journeys won't be 5-star trips to exotic locations. Each celebrity will be taking a metaphorical journey to their inner self while learning new philosophies and enduring a range of physical challenges, deprivations, primitive living conditions, strict diets, and often extreme therapies. Each week two new celebrities jet off to a mystery destination – with no idea where they will be going or what they will be doing untill they arrive at the airport. If anyone of them were holding on to the last vestiges of hope that their journey would be a pampering at a luxury resort, they'll soon be brought down to earth when they are ushered past the plush first and business class cabins and into a cramped economy seat for the long flight ahead.

And the conditions at the other end are likely to be even more humbling. Some will sleep under the stars, some in bamboo huts. Even the lucky few who have a real bed at night will not be in the lap of luxury. Over the next seven days the stars face the shock of some extreme regimes.

East London Advertiser

Martyn appears in "Make my Body Younger", a new series on BBC3

MD Martyn Helliwell features in a new BBC3 TV series called "Make my Body younger". Motivation Coach Martyn was tasked with changing the mindset of a young lad with both a weight issue and a smoking adiction.

After just a short motivational session both issues were calmed and the show goes on to feature him doing a perfectly executed board break and 5 metre Glass Walk.