Big Brother officially turned 26 on July 18, 2026. The Channel 4 show, which premiered on July 18, 2000, quickly became one of the most talked-about programmes of all time, turning unknown members of the public into household names. Described as a social experiment, the series follows a group of contestants, known as ‘housemates’, living together in a specially constructed house isolated from the outside world, with live cameras continuously monitoring them as millions of viewers watch their every move.
Craig Phillips: The UK's First Winner
Liverpool builder Craig Phillips was the UK's first-ever Big Brother winner, scoring £70,000 as a result of his victory. He donated all of his winnings to his friend, Joanne Harris, who required a life-saving heart and lung transplant. Craig’s kind gesture led to members of the public helping raise £250,000 for her operation. Sadly, Joanne, who had Down's Syndrome, died in hospital in Birmingham at the age of 25 after contracting an infection in 2008. Continuing to use his newfound fame for good, Craig raised over £40,000 for the Down's Syndrome Association through his 2000 charity single At This Time of Year, which reached number 14 in the UK charts. He also launched the production company Avent Productions. Craig didn’t move away from TV, going on to showcase his DIY skills on shows such as 60 Minute Makeover, Trading Up, and Big Strong Boys. Recent years have seen Craig and his wife Laura releasing educational content on their Mr and Mrs DIY YouTube channel, which has over 40,000 subscribers. The pair share two children together and tied the knot in 2018. Opening up about his win, Craig previously told the Liverpool Echo: “Overall, generally, I've got no regrets for being on the programme. What I experienced and the aftercare I had from [production company] Endemol was fantastic. They spent thousands on aftercare to look after me. Security, cars, flights and hotels. I can never ever put them down. I know not everyone has had as good an innings as me.”
Anna Nolan: From Nun to TV Presenter
Finishing in second place on the debut season was Anna Nolan. The Dublin native previously served as a nun prior to entering the house, with her coming out as gay the following year. Anna won a legion of fans for always speaking her mind and trying to calm things down when things became heated. After Big Brother, Anna continued working in TV, hosting the BBC series Anna in Wonderland and Closure. Once back in Ireland, she co-presented The Afternoon Show on RTÉ for three years and was an occasional panellist on discussion show The Panel. She returned to the show that made her famous for Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, once again finishing as runner-up. Turning her attention to behind-the-scenes work, Anna has been the head of development at COCO Content since 2024, which makes First Dates Ireland. One person Anna has remained close to from her Big Brother days is Davina McCall, who said she’s the only housemate she’s ever formed a friendship with on the programme. Davina previously told the News Of The World: "I liked Anna right from the start, because she was just the sort of person I knew I’d want as a friend – a really solid person. I had a lot of admiration for her, which grew throughout the show."
Darren Ramsay and Melanie Hill
Finishing in third place was Darren Ramsay, who used his quiet demeanour and kindness to form lots of friendships in the house. For a while, Darren appeared on a few TV shows such as Good Food Live and The Weakest Link. He also trained as a flight attendant for the TV show Airline but asked to leave shortly before qualifying. However, Darren no longer stays in the limelight and has since become a granddad. Melanie Hill, whose eye was modeled for the show's original eye logo, reached the final as a bubbly personality who kissed both Andrew Davidson and Tom McDermott in the house. Sadly, Melanie has been open about not enjoying the aftermath of the series. Writing an open letter titled "How Big Brother Destroyed My Life," she expressed her sorrow about the media scrutiny and public harassment she faced. Melanie even encouraged women not to audition for the reality show as a result of her experience. She went on to write for publications like The Guardian and hosted the E4 reality dating show Chained. She said in 2002: “I got some great jobs in TV, presenting Chained on E4 and BBC Holiday, and have started writing for glossy magazines. Do I regret having done it? I would say to anyone considering auditioning for the next series, especially if they are female, don’t. Your 15 minutes of fame will come at a very high price.” Having run a vintage clothing business, Melanie now works as a marketing director and is a mum of four who lives an eco-conscious, zero-waste lifestyle.
Tom McDermott, Claire Strutton, and Nichola Holt
Farmer and computer engineer Tom McDermott made it to day 43 on the series. Months after leaving the house, Tom began a relationship with fellow contestant Claire Strutton. The pair had a child together in 2001 and moved to Spain, where it's reported they ran a property website before they separated after a year. Tom eventually moved to Cornwall, where he lives with his second wife. Former florist Claire kindly did the flowers for his second wedding. Tom is said to run a property company. Claire, who entered the house as a late housemate, went on to become a successful entrepreneur. She is now married to businessman Ian Radford, with them owning nightclubs in Gibraltar and Essex. Claire and Ian live on a luxury beach resort in Marbella which they founded, called La Sala Beach in Puerto Banus. Previously speaking about her marriage with Tom, Claire said they continued to look after their son, Pierce, together after their split and texted regularly. She said: "Tom's still cool, but I do feel that he really wanted to move on from [Big Brother and fame] immediately after he was done with it." Nichola Holt made headlines when she told her housemates ‘it’s just a game’ when tensions threatened to boil over. The Bolton native was evicted in Week 5, placing 7th. She showed that Big Brother wasn’t afraid of getting risque when she stripped off to make clay imprints of her body. Speaking to The Sun about her time in the house, Nichola said: “What many people don’t know is that most of the diary room moments are not broadcast." After Big Brother she tried to launch a pop career with a dance song called The Game, which reached number 72 in the UK charts. She was married to personal trainer Yas Parr for 18 months. Nichola currently works as a textile designer and artist, living in Bolton with her daughter.
Nick Bateman: 'Nasty Nick' and Others
Branded ‘Nasty Nick’, Nick Bateman made history in the Big Brother house by being involved in a heated confrontation with Craig. Nick was caught trying to rig nominations in the house to the shock of his castmates. He was the first contestant to be kicked off Big Brother for breaking the rules, replaced by Claire, and made headlines around the world. Nick was also accused of sneaking a phone into the house, but the production team found no evidence of this. During his time on the show, a helicopter flew over the house and dropped forty leaflets into the garden, requesting that Nick be nominated for eviction; they were removed before the housemates found them. Following his exit, Nick went on to host the short-lived television series Trust Me and featured on multiple shows such as Come Dine with Me, Night Fever, Show Me the Money, The Weakest Link, and Back to Reality. Nick also hosted a weekly radio show on 107.8 Academy FM in Kent. He returned for Ultimate Big Brother, where he finished in fifth place in 2010. These days he lives a quiet life in Australia. He told The Sun in 2023: "I was in the right genre at the wrong time on the wrong show. I was probably more suited to The Traitors. Writing down names on bits of paper and discussing nominations all seems very tame compared to what goes on now. I wouldn’t be seen as out of order on something like Married At First Sight or Love Island." Caroline O'Shea, the third housemate to be sent home, was a bubbly presence in the house. She didn’t fully leave TV, appearing in The Weakest Link and The Only Way Is Essex over the years, though her profile remains active on casting websites. Andy Davidson, the second housemate evicted, is best remembered for sharing a kiss with Melanie. Choosing not to pursue a career in TV, he took on the role of head of client strategy at Flamingo, a brand and insight consultancy based in London. He is the brother of former F1 driver Anthony Davidson. Sada Walkington made unfortunate history by becoming the first contestant ever to be evicted from the Big Brother house. After leaving the house, Sada started dating fellow housemate Nichola for a while. She told The Irish Examiner at the time: “It's still a bit of a shock to me, until now I've only ever had relationships with men, but I'm so happy. We love and adore each other. We've only been together properly for a month, but we're both very serious about this." Choosing not to stay in the limelight, Sada packed up and moved to Argentina, where she became a yoga instructor. She gave birth to twins, Indigo and Padma, in 2005, with her Argentine musician husband Sat Man Swaraj.
