Cameron smiles during a visit to an orphanage in Burundi - one of three visits he has made to Africa, not counting his current Big Brother adventure.

Orkney’s Big Brother hopeful Cameron Stout has a passion for Africa and has visited three times in the past.

It was sheer pot luck that he was the housemate who agreed to take on the individual task.

But his success in the African version of the show has come as no surprise to his family.

Brother Julyan Sinclair said: “He loves Africa and will share common ground with the people in the house, having been there three times before.”

Cameron has visited Burundi, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

“It was maybe 2000 when he went to visit Annelie Ross, who is also from Orkney, at the orphanage she runs in Burundi. He had already been to Cape Town, which I think was to do with work, and Johannesburg,” Julyan said.

“He loved it and brought back lots of native wood carvings, some of which I have in my flat in Glasgow – virility masks and stuff!”

Cameron's stay in the South African BB house is part of a mystery twist set to spice up the programme by the producers.

He was flown in a private jet to South Africa in a special exchange with an African BB contestant Gaetano Kagwa, who has been seen in the British house since Monday.

The Orcadian is safe from nominations by his fellow housemates at home and abroad, although he can still nominate. It means he will make it through to the final five.

He must act as an ambassador for Big Brother and pass on a message to the BB house in South Africa.

Cameron boards the Big Brother jet as he prepares to join housemates in the African Big Brother house.

“Africa, wowee!” he said after being told in the diary room. “That is phenomenal.”

While waiting in the reward room Cameron talks to Big Brother via a telephone line.

“I am not a pessimist at all but if anything happens to me on this trip, please tell my mum and dad and brother that I love them very much. I have had a magic time and wouldn’t have changed anything for the world.”

Julyan and his mum Doris Stout, from Stromness, travelled down for eviction night and admitted they were surprised to see Cameron stay in with such a convincing result.

“I got more pleasure from seeing Phil Tickle’s face, Jon’s twin brother – the Tickle camp were gutted. Phil wouldn’t talk to me after the result. I was told that Jon got 640,000 votes and Cameron got 500,000, so it wasn’t like a one per cent difference,” he said.

Julyan was also blanked by Jon after he was introduced as Cameron’s brother.

“He just turned around looked me in the eyes and turned away again.”

Perhaps Jon was a bit upset at the fact that Cameron nominated him almost every week, while Jon was ever-faithful to the Orkney man.