Latest news with #CraigPhillips
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Australia buoyed by Gout's Commonwealth Games signal
Commonwealth Games Australia boss Craig Phillips is thrilled the biggest rising star in Australian sport will be part of the team that is set to yet again top the medal tally in Glasgow. One year out from the 2026 Games - to be staged in Glasgow after Victoria's government reneged on hosting - teenaged sprint sensation Gout Gout's intent to participate has buoyed Australian officials. "Gout Gout's indicated he's coming, which is fantastic to see his interest in coming to the Games," Phillips said on Wednesday. "There's a bit to go obviously in terms of selection processes and all that, but he is an absolutely exciting young talent. "So to see him as part of our Commonwealth Games team alongside great athletes from across our sports is going to be fantastic." Gout had initially been expected to prioritise the August 5-9 world junior titles in the United States, where he wants to emulate the great Usain Bolt, who won the under-20 200m title back in 2002. But Gout is now set to contest the Commonwealth 100m event in Glasgow, before heading to the US for the 200m at the world juniors. "We know the 100 is early enough in the program that he can do both the Commonwealth Games and then the juniors coming in soon thereafter." Phillips said. Gout is in line to do something Bolt never did by running as an individual at the Commonwealth Games. The Jamaican legend was part of his country's gold medal-winning 4x100m men's relay team at Glasgow 2014. Gout's participation will further boost Australia's hopes of again topping the medal tally, which they have done in eight of the last nine Games dating back to 1990. Glasgow's pared-down Games will feature 10 sports, nine less than in 2022 in Birmingham. Sports which Australia tends to dominate at Commonwealth level such as hockey, rugby sevens and diving have been axed. But 82 per cent of the nation's medal events in Birmingham remain on the Glasgow program. "We have ambitions to remain top of the medal tally, which is a stated ambition of ours all the time," Phillips said. "We really think that our athletes can do that. What that number takes, it will take. "But we're pretty confident that we'll put our athletes in the best possible position to do that."
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Big Brother's first ever champion Craig Phillips issues stark warning to anyone hoping to join the show - as he reflects on the 'terrifying' aftermath of winning the series
He was catapulted to fame when he won the first ever series of Big Brother UK back in 2000, scooping the £70,000 prize money and becoming the 'most famous man in Britain'. But despite his fame and fortune, Craig Phillips has issued a stark warning to anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps and sign up for the show. In a candid new interview with The Telegraph, the Liverpool native, 53, has advised people not to enter the famous abode, admitting that though he has no regrets, he 'wouldn't do it again.' He told the publication: 'Over the years, people would stop me in the street and say, "I've applied for Big Brother; what advice would you give me?". And I would look at them and go, "Don't do it!"' Amid his stint in the house, Craig's popularity soared when he confronted 'Nasty' Nick Bateman for passing covert notes to housemates to influence their votes, with the huge TV moment seeing Craig eventually crowned the show's first ever winner. However, the reality of winning Big Brother wasn't as pleasant as he would have hoped, as he recalled the 'terrifying' aftermath of his victory that left him feeling like he'd been 'kidnapped'. Craig explained: 'As soon as the live finale finished, I was driven away to a hotel with a police escort, as the press were chasing me. But no one was telling me what was going on. I felt like I was being kidnapped. 'It was terrifying. My knees were shaking. I felt vulnerable and panicky. It was not what I was expecting. All the things he [Brett Carr, the show's psychiatrist] was telling me were not sinking in. Then my cousin Steven arrived, and we sat up drinking until 8am. From there, it was straight to a press conference. Every time I moved, 50 flashbulbs went off.' Craig and his fellow contestants had no idea just how huge Big Brother was going to be when they entered the famous house 25 years ago, with the show going on to become the benchmark for reality TV in years to come. In the wake of his win, Craig was in huge demand, finding himself pestered by eager agents and making numerous appearances, with the builder not getting the chance to return to his home for a whopping 97 days. Since finding fame on the show, Craig forced a successful TV career, appearing in numerous television shows including 60 Minute Makeover and Builders, Sweat and Tears. However in recent years, that fame has declined, with Craig noting that he'd turned down many things over past seven or eight years as the money 'didn't justify' him doing that work. Instead Craig, who now lives in Majorca with wife Laura and children Nelly, six, and Lennon, four, makes his money through property, public speaking and his lucrative YouTube channel Mr & Mrs DIY. Looking back on his Big Brother experience, Craig notes that he and his fellow contestants were 'naïve', with the group having entered the house 'not really expecting much'. He added that while in his Big Brother heyday there was no social media, nowadays contestants have to be 'strong' enough to deal with the criticism they may face from the public, remarking it's a 'dangerous position' to be in. In a stark conclusion summing up the Big Brother experience, he concluded that fame and fortune 'do not go hand in hand'. Meanwhile, back in December, Craig admitted he never had any ambition to work on TV or become famous. When discussing what inspired him to originally go on the show, Craig said: 'My reasons behind it were I was collecting for Joanne Harris, who needed a heart and lung transplant, so we wanted to take her to America, we couldn't afford it.' 'But when I saw a documentary in Holland about Big Brother, and potentially it coming to the UK, and the winner would get £70,000, I thought well that will be a fantastic start to be raising a quarter of a million pounds for Joanne's appeal.' 'That was the only reason. I never ever had any ambition to ever work on TV or become famous in any way shape or form, I just kind of wanted to try and get the money really for Joanne.' Craig, who starred in the first-ever series of the reality TV show in 2000, also revealed he hasn't watched his series as of yet but has vowed to one day sit down and watch it. He said: 'I still haven't (watched my series). I've got all these tapes (VHS tapes) labelled up with all the different days on and I've vowed to myself that one day I'll sit down and watch them.' 'Because when I won Big Brother, I came out and I didn't go home for 97 days, I changed hotel every single night, and I kept thinking to myself it'll die down in a couple of months and I'll sit down and watch it.
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Original Big Brother champion Craig Phillips: ‘My advice for anyone going on the show? Don't'
'Over the years, people would stop me in the street and say, 'I've applied for Big Brother; what advice would you give me?'. And I would look at them and go, 'Don't do it!'' Twenty-five years ago, 28-year-old Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips was the most famous man in Britain, becoming an overnight sensation after winning the first series of Big Brother. It changed his life, and he has no regrets, but, he says, 'I wouldn't do it again.' No one could have foreseen how that show would shape the future of reality television, with every wannabe in the land hoping for an instant springboard into show business. In those more innocent times, Phillips, now 53, was running a successful building company in Shropshire and blissfully unaware of the eventual benefits – and pitfalls – being on the show would offer. 'I was content with the direction I was going in,' he says down the line from his home in Majorca, where he lives with his wife Laura and children Nelly, six, and Lennon, four. 'At the time, I was helping raise money for little Joanne Harris, a Down's syndrome girl who needed £250k to take her to America for a heart-lung transplant. I'd seen a documentary about a programme in Holland called Big Brother and they were contemplating doing it in England.' Phillips rightly deduced it could be an effective way of raising both money and publicity for Harris's cause, and wrote to the production company, Endemol, asking them to bear him in mind should they ever bring the series to the UK. Then he promptly forgot all about it. Months later, they got in touch, and, after a tortuous interview process, he found himself down to the last 50 out of 45,000 who had applied. But 12 days before the show was due to start, he still wasn't sure if he was in or out. With his business on his mind, he issued the producers with an ultimatum – let him know within 24 hours or he would pull out. An hour later, he got the call. 'There was relief and excitement and panic,' he recalls. 'I don't think I slept that night. I was thinking, 'Am I doing the right thing?'. I'm neglecting my business. I'd signed quite a strict confidentiality agreement and couldn't tell anybody. So, I had to break the rules and let some of my customers know, because one day I'm doing a big extension and the next I'm appearing on TV.' On July 14, 2000, Phillips and nine other contestants – including ex-nun Anna Nolan, city broker Nick Bateman, assertive Melanie Hill and chicken-phobic Darren Ramsay, none of whom had met before – entered the house in Bow, east London, watched by host Davina McCall, a small audience of friends and family and a few thousand via a choppy livestream online. Ladbrokes tipped Nolan to win, and gave the longest odds to Bateman, Ramsay and Phillips. Four days later, Channel 4's TV coverage began, as the housemates became acquainted – for better or worse – doing nothing much but boredly parading about in swimwear and getting on each other's nerves. 'When you're in that environment, it's surprising how much things bother you,' says Phillips. 'Caroline [O'Shea], for instance; she'd be drinking a cup of tea, then put it on the very edge of a table. And I'd be looking at it, thinking, 'You're going to knock that off…' That used to grate on me.' But viewers couldn't get enough, and the programme became the talking point of that summer, while, inside, they remained blissfully unaware. On day 35, Phillips famously confronted Bateman – immortalised as ' Nasty Nick ' in the tabloids – for passing covert notes to housemates encouraging them to nominate certain people for eviction, and the country came to a standstill. 'It didn't feel that big because we had confrontations pretty much every day,' remembers Phillips now. 'I personally just felt very let down by Nick. We were developing good friendships that were hopefully going to last forever, because we're all in this unique experiment. We felt betrayed.' Although Bateman was removed from the show, the two remained friends, with Phillips even having a key to his London flat. On day 64, Phillips emerged from the Big Brother house as the series' champion, winning £70,000. 'It was like coming up for air,' he says. 'I came out to fireworks, and it was all very overwhelming. Joanne was there and I told her I was giving her the money, and everyone was calling my name – it was bonkers.' But being at the vanguard of a cultural phenomenon is not necessarily a pleasant experience. 'As soon as the live finale finished, I was driven away to a hotel with a police escort, as the press were chasing me. But no one was telling me what was going on. I felt like I was being kidnapped.' In his suite, around 25 people were waiting for him – including Brett Carr, the show's psychiatrist, who told him he was now the most talked-about person in Britain. He had yet to see his own family. 'It was terrifying,' he says. 'My knees were shaking. I felt vulnerable and panicky. It was not what I was expecting. All the things he was telling me were not sinking in. Then my cousin Steven arrived, and we sat up drinking until 8am. From there, it was straight to a press conference. Every time I moved, 50 flashbulbs went off.' Unknown to the contestants, they had all been signed to agent Keith Woodhams. 'On the night I won, we were all up on stage, and one of the other housemates, Tom [McDermott], put his hand over my mic and said in my ear, 'F--k Keith Woodhams off'. I didn't know who he was talking about.' He soon found out. Woodhams wanted this new star to commit to a long-term contract, but Phillips was sensibly reticent. 'He kept pressuring me almost to the point of threatening me,' he says. 'I'd only been out of the house a week and was really enjoying the life – every famous person wanted to be my friend – but he was telling me it would all end tomorrow if I didn't sign. 'Davina had said to call her if I ever needed anything, so she put me in touch with her agent, John Noel. In the meantime, I had Max Clifford telling he'd make me a millionaire, but John understood what I needed.' Everyone wanted a piece of him, and after his exit from the Big Brother house, Phillips didn't go home for 97 days. For half a decade, he forged a career in DIY TV shows. Now, over 2000 television appearances later, that's taken a back seat. 'My fame, obviously, has declined,' he says candidly. 'I always expected it, and I'm not upset about it. Most stuff I've been offered over the past seven or eight years, I've turned down. The money didn't justify me doing that work. As Barbara Windsor once said to me, 'Television is a fantastic industry to be in – when you don't need it. Don't get to a point where you do.' Always with a strong work ethic – he started working in a butcher's shop at 13 after the death of his father – he makes his money today as he always did, in property. He's also a brand ambassador, an after-dinner speaker and has a lucrative YouTube channel (Mr & Mrs DIY). While many of the cast of series one turned their backs on the limelight, Big Brother quickly returned to TV, opening the floodgates for fame-seekers and show-offs with little to offer. Meanwhile, the original BB villain, Bateman, moved to Australia when he proved unable to shake off the Nasty Nick tag at home. 'We were very naïve,' muses Phillips, who's only occasionally in touch with a handful of the housemates today. Although he says he didn't follow subsequent series, he is aware of some of those who had an adverse experience on the show, including Jade Goody who, in the 2007 series, was part of a confrontation with Shilpa Shetty that saw her being branded a 'racist bully' by the Daily Mirror. 'She wasn't a racist,' asserts Phillips, 'she was just poorly educated. When she got angry, she'd go over the top'. As for the original cast from series one, Phillips says, 'We'd gone in not really expecting much, but we all got a lot from it. There was no social media then. But today, you need to be strong enough to accept you could come out very badly from it. It's a dangerous position to be in.' 'Fame and fortune do not go hand in hand.'
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Am I minging?' It's Big Brother's greatest moments
Big Brother house, this is the Guardian. You are live to the nation. Please do not swear. Yes, it's the show that changed the face of British TV. On 18 July, it's exactly 25 years since the OG reality franchise took our screens by storm – which will be marked this autumn by an extended 25th anniversary series. So we are celebrating by fast-forwarding through a quarter-century of romances, rows and all-round ridiculousness to pick the greatest hits of Big Brother – not the celebrity spin-off, otherwise George Galloway being a cat and 'David's dead!' would definitely feature. Instead we're talking about the original and best civilian edition, whose pioneering 00s pomp came on Channel 4, before the less loved Channel 5 era – which was axed in 2018 until ITV rebooted it two years ago. These are the Endemol classic's best bits. How many do you remember? Big Brother will get back to you. We take it for granted now but when the Dutch format arrived on Channel 4, it felt genuinely groundbreaking. Ten punters entered a custom-built, camera-rigged house for the original 'social experiment', with nightly highlight shows and an online live feed (how modern). Davina McCall hosted and over her decade-long stint, became a national treasure. The first intake included lesbian ex-nun Anna Nolan and Darren Ramsay, who chatted to the chickens and named his favourite Marjorie. Innocent times. Well, until … The show's breakout moment came when Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips, the eventual winner, confronted housemate Nick Bateman about cheating. The City broker, who now lives under another name in Australia, had smuggled in pen and paper, then (gasp!) passed notes to manipulate nominations. The nation was outraged as Nasty Nick's downfall unfolded in real-time. A panto villain was born and it turned reality TV evil for ever. The original BB romance blossomed between Welsh hairdresser Helen Adams (who memorably declared 'I like blinking, I do') and car designer Paul Clarke (who boasted that he 'lives like an international pop star'). A world away from today's shameless Love Island showmances, the endearingly normal couple went on to have a five-year relationship. 'Hold me, Bubble!' Irrepressible Ryanair flight attendant Brian Dowling was hilarious value and voted the all-time most popular winner. Glimpsing cameras behind the mirrors, he would declare them 'Demons!'. He busted out a dance routine to Janet Jackson's Nasty. Halfway through a buzzcut, he turned sideways and had a conversation with his own shaven-headed alter ego. Dowling would become the first out gay children's TV presenter on SMTV and later hosted BB's Channel 5 revival. A star was born when Brummie whirlwind Alison climbed on to a garden table to peek over the wall at the outside world. When the table broke, she headed straight to the Diary Room to confess, offering: 'I could probably bend it back?' She finished 11th but won the hearts of viewers and is now a much-loved TV fixture. Late arrival Tim 'nice but dim' Culley won few friends by braying his catchphrase 'Comprendez?'. He went down in BB lore by shaving off his ginger chest hair under the duvet, thinking nobody would notice – despite the presence of dozens of cameras. The late Jade Goody became such a star that she returned for Celebrity Big Brother five years later. Cue a racism controversy which caused an international incident. First time around, though, the dental nurse was endearingly ditsy. Guileless utterances included 'Sherlock Holmes invented toilets' and 'East Angular – ain't that abroad?' She didn't cope well when it was pointed out that she had a verruca, wailing 'Am I minging?' Housemates often forget the cameras are there, so it was a spine-tingling moment when finalist Alex Sibley stared straight down the lens and into viewers' souls. Buttoning his shirt while disco hits played over the tannoy, he lip-synced to KC & the Sunshine Band's That's The Way (I Like It), seeming to flirt with the audience at home. It remains a mystery what went on under that tablecloth. BB5 lovebirds Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson, AKA 'Chicken Stu' hid under the kitchen table for some intimate action away from the cameras. When Davina asked for juicy details during her exit interview, Michelle coyly replied 'No comment' to squeals from the crowd. 'No naked jacuzzi-ness!' When Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass were supposedly evicted, they actually moved to a secret bedsit to follow the house action on screens. This spark lit the fuse for the infamous Fight Night. When the pair made their shock return and booze was imbibed, a blazing row erupted between the resident rival cliques, Lip Gloss Bitches vs Jungle Cats. Food was thrown. Tables were flipped. Greenwood and Victor Ebuwa hit each other with trays. Security guards burst in, the live feed was cut and police were called in to investigate. Highlight or new low? You decide. Showering in high heels. Begging for cigarettes while dressed as a camo-clad soldier. Portugal-born Nádia Almada was the first transgender contestant, making it all the sweeter when she won. She feared a backlash from the public, so when she left the house to a rapturous reception, Nádia was poignantly overwhelmed. Rebellious Kitten Pinder's stint was short but eventful. A Brighton anarchist who lived in a squat, Kitten Pinder was ejected after just eight days for breaking the rules an impressive 30 times. Only the second housemate after Nasty Nick to be booted out, she refused to nominate, tried to move the alcohol fridge into the bedroom and declined to go to the Diary Room when asked. Naturally, when she was thrown out, she refused to leave, resulting in the prize money being reduced. Days later, Kitten was up in court for non-payment of multiple parking fines. She blamed Tony Blair. After Makosi Musambasi and eventual winner Anthony Hutton got steamy in the jacuzzi, Makosi stunned everyone by going to the Diary Room and whispering 'I could be pregnant.' Within hours, she'd told two housemates that she was '90% sure', vowing to keep the baby and asking Big Brother for a pregnancy test. Spoiler: she wasn't pregnant. Anthony denied they'd even had sex. Leeds musician Kieron 'Science' Harvey became a cult figure for his argumentative nature and sardonic wit. He was forever baiting Conservative speechwriter Derek Laud, memorably during a cardboard box task. His highlight came when housemates Maxwell, Craig and Anthony sat in a row on the sofa. Self-styled 'Citizen Science' pointed at his foes one-by-one and spat: 'Tweedledum, Tweedledee and TweedleTWAT.' It's an image seared on viewers' brains. Outrageous late arrival Kinga Karolczak swiftly made an impression by stripping off for hot tub sessions. One tipsy evening took a surprise turn when she tottered into the garden to become, ahem, better acquainted with a wine bottle. Ofcom later said it 'operated at the limits of acceptability'. The late, great Nikki Grahame was the undisputed queen of tantrums and tirades. She complained about the air con ('I'm so cooooold!') and housemate Richard Newman finishing the cornflakes ('the fat ox!'). Most memorably, she was apoplectic with rage when newcomer Susie Verrico nominated her, despite 'not even knowing me'. 'Who is she?' shrieked Grahame. 'Where did you find her?' Self-confessed 'ghetto princess' Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace had a winning way with a put-down. As a late arrival, she soon got the measure of Nikki, telling her: 'You better know yourself, little girl.' When she returned in 2015 as a 'Time Warp houseguest', Aisleyne hadn't lost it. Putting former escort Helen Wood on a bargain budget, she reasoned: 'Basic rations for a basic bitch.' If you know, you know. As gawky Welsh teenager Glynn Wise boiled himself some breakfast, he improvised a catchy little song to celebrate: 'I'm cooking an egg for the very first time, ah-mmm.' To this day, BB fans of a certain vintage find themselves humming it when cooking eggs. Fun fact: Glyn is now a priest. Winner Pete Bennett, a Brighton musician with Tourette syndrome, had an unlikely romance with housemate Nikki Grahame and said in his exit interview that Big Brother had saved his life. All very touching but not as funny as when he lost his balance while chatting in the garden and toppled backwards into the pool. The second Brian to win the show, Essex boy Belo provided all manner of inadvertent lolz. He'd never heard of Shakespeare and insisted 'the moon is bigger than the universe'. The morning after one of his 'cider binges' – this was before duty-of-care protocols were tightened – Brian admitted having 'an accident' during the night. Housemates promised they wouldn't tell anyone, despite it airing on primetime TV. Warrington fortysomethings Mario Marconi and Lisa Appleton were the first contestants to enter the house as a couple – and super Mario had a surprise in store. He donned black tie, stood on a heart-shaped plinth and popped the question via Love Actually-style placards. Loved-up Lisa said yes and they tied the knot two years later. Aww. Except they've since split and Lisa has done tell-all interviews admitting that she has struggled with addiction … to sausages. No, really. Like La Hammond, Josie Gibson is another daytime TV favourite who first found fame on BB. The self-confessed 'daft Bristolian bird' won the last edition to be shown on Channel 4 with a record 77.5% of the public vote. However, Gibson's highlight came when she shared her failsafe mood-lifter: 'Whenever I'm feeling a bit low, I think: 'At least I'm not that woman who had her face ripped off by a chimpanzee'.' Relatable. This lukewarm later series was mainly notable for a certain Andrew Tate being among the housemates. He was ejected on Day Six after a video emerged which apparently showed him hitting a woman with a belt. Tate claimed it was a prank and he'd been misrepresented. In happier news, this run also saw a Diary Room meltdown from ex-model Jayne Connery, who was 'bored shitless by conversations about hair tongs' and asked Big Brother: 'Are you fucking on drugs?' A reminder of reality TV as a force for good. The last series of the Channel 5 era saw 18-year-old Cameron Cole come out as gay during a conversation with housemate Lewis. He eventually plucked up the courage to tell the whole house, prompting fellow contestants to cry, clap and congratulate him. The tender moment led to an outpouring of support on social media. Cameron went on to become BB's youngest ever winner. The defining storyline of ITV's reboot was a gay love triangle. Lawyer Jordan and food critic Henry quickly clicked – but two weeks later, Jordan began flirting with doctor Matty, despite him having a boyfriend on the outside. Heartbreakingly, Henry broke down in tears because he'd 'lost his best friend' in the house. They sweetly patched things up and Jordan went on to win. After dating for 18 months, the pair amicably split.
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Am I minging?' It's Big Brother's greatest moments
Big Brother house, this is the Guardian. You are live to the nation. Please do not swear. Yes, it's the show that changed the face of British TV. On 18 July, it's exactly 25 years since the OG reality franchise took our screens by storm – which will be marked this autumn by an extended 25th anniversary series. So we are celebrating by fast-forwarding through a quarter-century of romances, rows and all-round ridiculousness to pick the greatest hits of Big Brother – not the celebrity spin-off, otherwise George Galloway being a cat and 'David's dead!' would definitely feature. Instead we're talking about the original and best civilian edition, whose pioneering 00s pomp came on Channel 4, before the less loved Channel 5 era – which was axed in 2018 until ITV rebooted it two years ago. These are the Endemol classic's best bits. How many do you remember? Big Brother will get back to you. We take it for granted now but when the Dutch format arrived on Channel 4, it felt genuinely groundbreaking. Ten punters entered a custom-built, camera-rigged house for the original 'social experiment', with nightly highlight shows and an online live feed (how modern). Davina McCall hosted and over her decade-long stint, became a national treasure. The first intake included lesbian ex-nun Anna Nolan and Darren Ramsay, who chatted to the chickens and named his favourite Marjorie. Innocent times. Well, until … The show's breakout moment came when Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips, the eventual winner, confronted housemate Nick Bateman about cheating. The City broker, who now lives under another name in Australia, had smuggled in pen and paper, then (gasp!) passed notes to manipulate nominations. The nation was outraged as Nasty Nick's downfall unfolded in real-time. A panto villain was born and it turned reality TV evil for ever. The original BB romance blossomed between Welsh hairdresser Helen Adams (who memorably declared 'I like blinking, I do') and car designer Paul Clarke (who boasted that he 'lives like an international pop star'). A world away from today's shameless Love Island showmances, the endearingly normal couple went on to have a five-year relationship. 'Hold me, Bubble!' Irrepressible Ryanair flight attendant Brian Dowling was hilarious value and voted the all-time most popular winner. Glimpsing cameras behind the mirrors, he would declare them 'Demons!'. He busted out a dance routine to Janet Jackson's Nasty. Halfway through a buzzcut, he turned sideways and had a conversation with his own shaven-headed alter ego. Dowling would become the first openly gay children's TV presenter on SMTV and later hosted BB's Channel 5 revival. A star was born when Brummie whirlwind Alison climbed on to a garden table to peek over the wall at the outside world. When the table broke, she headed straight to the Diary Room to confess, offering: 'I could probably bend it back?' She finished 11th but won the hearts of viewers and is now a much-loved TV fixture. Late arrival Tim 'nice but dim' Culley won few friends by braying his catchphrase 'Comprendez?'. He went down in BB lore by shaving off his ginger chest hair under the duvet, thinking nobody would notice – despite the presence of dozens of cameras. The late Jade Goody became such a star that she returned for Celebrity Big Brother five years later. Cue a racism controversy which caused an international incident. First time around, though, the dental nurse was endearingly ditsy. Guileless utterances included 'Sherlock Holmes invented toilets' and 'East Angular – ain't that abroad?' She didn't cope well when it was pointed out that she had a verruca, wailing 'Am I minging?' Housemates often forget the cameras are there, so it was a spine-tingling moment when finalist Alex Sibley stared straight down the lens and into viewers' souls. Buttoning his shirt while disco hits played over the tannoy, he lip-synced to KC & the Sunshine Band's That's The Way (I Like It), seeming to flirt with the audience at home. It remains a mystery what went on under that tablecloth. BB5 lovebirds Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson, AKA 'Chicken Stu' hid under the kitchen table for some intimate action away from the cameras. When Davina asked for juicy details during her exit interview, Michelle coyly replied 'No comment' to squeals from the crowd. 'No naked jacuzzi-ness!' When Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass were supposedly evicted, they actually moved to a secret bedsit to follow the house action on screens. This spark lit the fuse for the infamous Fight Night. When the pair made their shock return and booze was imbibed, a blazing row erupted between the resident rival cliques, Lip Gloss Bitches vs Jungle Cats. Food was thrown. Tables were flipped. Greenwood and Victor Ebuwa hit each other with trays. Security guards burst in, the live feed was cut and police were called in to investigate. Highlight or new low? You decide. Showering in high heels. Begging for cigarettes while dressed as a camo-clad soldier. Portugal-born Nádia Almada was the first transgender contestant, making it all the sweeter when she won. She feared a backlash from the public, so when she left the house to a rapturous reception, Nádia was poignantly overwhelmed. Rebellious Kitten Pinder's stint was short but eventful. A Brighton anarchist who lived in a squat, Kitten Pinder was ejected after just eight days for breaking the rules an impressive 30 times. Only the second housemate after Nasty Nick to be booted out, she refused to nominate, tried to move the alcohol fridge into the bedroom and declined to go to the Diary Room when asked. Naturally, when she was thrown out, she refused to leave, resulting in the prize money being reduced. Days later, Kitten was up in court for non-payment of multiple parking fines. She blamed Tony Blair. After Makosi Musambasi and eventual winner Anthony Hutton got steamy in the jacuzzi, Makosi stunned everyone by going to the Diary Room and whispering 'I could be pregnant.' Within hours, she'd told two housemates that she was '90% sure', vowing to keep the baby and asking Big Brother for a pregnancy test. Spoiler: she wasn't pregnant. Anthony denied they'd even had sex. Leeds musician Kieron 'Science' Harvey became a cult figure for his argumentative nature and sardonic wit. He was forever baiting Conservative speechwriter Derek Laud, memorably during a cardboard box task. His highlight came when housemates Maxwell, Craig and Anthony sat in a row on the sofa. Self-styled 'Citizen Science' pointed at his foes one-by-one and spat: 'Tweedledum, Tweedledee and TweedleTWAT.' It's an image seared on viewers' brains. Outrageous late arrival Kinga Karolczak swiftly made an impression by stripping off for hot tub sessions. One tipsy evening took a surprise turn when she tottered into the garden to become, ahem, better acquainted with a wine bottle. Ofcom later said it 'operated at the limits of acceptability'. The late, great Nikki Grahame was the undisputed queen of tantrums and tirades. She complained about the air con ('I'm so cooooold!') and housemate Richard Newman finishing the cornflakes ('the fat ox!'). Most memorably, she was apoplectic with rage when newcomer Susie Verrico nominated her, despite 'not even knowing me'. 'Who is she?' shrieked Grahame. 'Where did you find her?' Self-confessed 'ghetto princess' Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace had a winning way with a put-down. As a late arrival, she soon got the measure of Nikki, telling her: 'You better know yourself, little girl.' When she returned in 2015 as a 'Time Warp houseguest', Aisleyne hadn't lost it. Putting former escort Helen Wood on a bargain budget, she reasoned: 'Basic rations for a basic bitch.' If you know, you know. As gawky Welsh teenager Glynn Wise boiled himself some breakfast, he improvised a catchy little song to celebrate: 'I'm cooking an egg for the very first time, ah-mmm.' To this day, BB fans of a certain vintage find themselves humming it when cooking eggs. Fun fact: Glyn is now a priest. Winner Pete Bennett, a Brighton musician with Tourette syndrome, had an unlikely romance with housemate Nikki Grahame and said in his exit interview that Big Brother had saved his life. All very touching but not as funny as when he lost his balance while chatting in the garden and toppled backwards into the pool. The second Brian to win the show, Essex boy Belo provided all manner of inadvertent lolz. He'd never heard of Shakespeare and insisted 'the moon is bigger than the universe'. The morning after one of his 'cider binges' – this was before duty-of-care protocols were tightened – Brian admitted having 'an accident' during the night. Housemates promised they wouldn't tell anyone, despite it airing on primetime TV. Warrington fortysomethings Mario Marconi and Lisa Appleton were the first contestants to enter the house as a couple – and super Mario had a surprise in store. He donned black tie, stood on a heart-shaped plinth and popped the question via Love Actually-style placards. Loved-up Lisa said yes and they tied the knot two years later. Aww. Except they've since split and Lisa has done tell-all interviews admitting that she has struggled with addiction … to sausages. No, really. Like La Hammond, Josie Gibson is another daytime TV favourite who first found fame on BB. The self-confessed 'daft Bristolian bird' won the last edition to be shown on Channel 4 with a record 77.5% of the public vote. However, Gibson's highlight came when she shared her failsafe mood-lifter: 'Whenever I'm feeling a bit low, I think: 'At least I'm not that woman who had her face ripped off by a chimpanzee'.' Relatable. This lukewarm later series was mainly notable for a certain Andrew Tate being among the housemates. He was ejected on Day Six after a video emerged which apparently showed him hitting a woman with a belt. Tate claimed it was a prank and he'd been misrepresented. In happier news, this run also saw a Diary Room meltdown from ex-model Jayne Connery, who was 'bored shitless by conversations about hair tongs' and asked Big Brother: 'Are you fucking on drugs?' A reminder of reality TV as a force for good. The last series of the Channel 5 era saw 18-year-old Cameron Cole come out as gay during a conversation with housemate Lewis. He eventually plucked up the courage to tell the whole house, prompting fellow contestants to cry, clap and congratulate him. The tender moment led to an outpouring of support on social media. Cameron went on to become BB's youngest ever winner. The defining storyline of ITV's reboot was a gay love triangle. Lawyer Jordan and food critic Henry quickly clicked – but two weeks later, Jordan began flirting with doctor Matty, despite him having a boyfriend on the outside. Heartbreakingly, Henry broke down in tears because he'd 'lost his best friend' in the house. They sweetly patched things up and Jordan went on to win. After dating for 18 months, the pair amicably split.
