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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- 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.
Scotsman
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
9 of the most popular trading cards from the 80s and 90s, and how much they're worth today
The most expensive trading card ever was sold for a staggering £9.2 million Sign up to our Retro newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The 80s and 90s was a golden era for trading cards and stickers Some trading cards from back then are worth thousands of pounds today We've put together a list of some of the best-loved cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s, and how much they could be worth all these years later These were among the most popular trading cards and stickers of the 80s and 90s, some of which are hugely collectable today, selling for thousands of pounds | Various They have provided countless hours of entertainment to generations of children, and adults, and been the cause of a few playground fights over the years. We're talking trading cards and stickers, of course, which enjoyed their heyday during the 80s and 90s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad From gross-out cards to stickers celebrating the biggest movies and most popular TV shows of the era, there was a card or sticker for nearly everything back then. Today, some of those cards change hands for hundreds of pounds, with the very rarest selling for thousands. The most expensive trading card ever sold was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, which was snapped up for an astronomical £9.2 million in 2022. The most valuable cards tend to be American sports cards, which are particularly collectable, but a Pokémon card sold in 2022 for an eye-watering £4.325 million. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad We've put together a list of some of the most popular trading cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s, which you may remember from your childhood. Some are worth big money today, while others have sentimental value only. Although Pokémon cards came out in the late 90s, we've not included them as they were more of a noughties and beyond phenomenon, particularly in the UK. Garbage Pail Kids Garbage Pail Kids | Getty Images These bad taste stickers, which parodied the popular Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, were huge during the 1980s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The stickers, sold in packs containing a stick of bubble gum, first went on sale in 1985. They depicted a bizarre range of characters, often seen suffering a horrific death or with an unusual deformity. Rare Garbage Pail Kids stickers can sell for huge amounts today, with one showing 'Nasty Nick' listed on eBay for more than £600, and another, of 'Adam Bomb' on sale for more than £250. Neighbours trading cards Everyone was watching Neighbours during the late 80s, when Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene's (Kylie Minogue) romance gripped the UK. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Topps cashed in by releasing a series of trading cards in 1988, which fans of the Australian soap rushed out to buy. All the characters were featured, from Harold and Madge to Bouncer the Dog. Sadly for those who still have their cards, they do not appear to be worth a lot today. A set of Neighbours cards from 1988 is listed on eBay for just £10. Topps football cards Football fans attemped to assemble their dream team during the 80s and 90s by collecting these popular trading cards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The most expensive sold recently on eBay include an 'Iconic Kits' card of Arsenal striker Ian Wright in the early 90s, which fetched more than £400, and one of Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis, which sold for more than £300. Snoots Collectors were invited to wear Snoots cards on their noses | eBay/chilledmitch These collectable cards stuck out from the crowd - literally - as they featured a hole for you to stick your nose through to complete the image. The series released in the late 80s included Nosy Bodies and Nosimals. The cards included a humorous summary on the back of the character depicted. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They don't appear to have increased in price greatly, with a set available on eBay for less than £40. WWF cards The WWF's (World Wrestling Federation) heyday came during late 80s and early 90s, when big personalities like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage had fans glued to their screens. WWF trading cards were hugely popular back then, and the rarest cards from that era can sell for hundreds or even thousands of pounds. A collection of over 200 WWF cards from 1986 is listed for sale on eBay for just under £7,000, while a single Hulk Hogan card from that same year is priced almost £500. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Star Wars Trading cards were produced to mark the release of the original Star Wars film in 1977 and the sequels in the early 80s | Getty Images Star Wars merchandise is hugely collectable, and the cards which accompanied the first films in the franchise are no exception. Trading cards were produced to mark the release of both The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), as they had been for the original 1977 film. Today, a set of 11 'prismatic' vending machine sticker cards is listed on eBay for just under £1,000, while a Millennium Falcon card from 1983 is priced just over £400. Batman Returns Batman Returns was directed by Tim Burton | Getty Images Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, received mixed reviews upon its release in 1992 but is now considered a cult classic. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A single trading card signed by Danny DeVito is listed for sale on eBay for a whopping £850, while an almost complete set of cards is priced £500. Top Trumps Top Trumps began life in the 1970s and remains a hugely popular card game today | National World Top Trumps aren't technically trading cards but they are hugely collectable. They first came out in the 70s but the game really caught on during the 80s and is still massively popular with children and adults alike. Top Trumps has celebrated everything from supercars to supervillains over the years, with players doing battle to see who boasts the best stats. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The most valuable Top Trumps game from the 80s, according to eBay, is the Super Top Trumps Fantasy edition, which is listed for just over £80. Power Rangers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first hit TV screens in 1993 and became an overnight sensation. Power Rangers trading cards came out the following year and the rarest cards can be worth a small fortune. A set of 48 cards from 1994 is listed on eBay for £1,750, while a single Green Ranger card from the same year is priced £1,181.10. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other memorable trading cards and stickers from the 80s and 90s include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jurassic Park, and Magic: The Gathering. What do you think were the best cards or stickers produced during the 80s or 90s? Let us know in the comments section below.
