It has been 25 years since Big Brother first aired in the UK, revolutionising reality television. To mark the occasion, we look back at the most memorable moments from the civilian series, from the iconic 'Nasty Nick' cheating scandal to the unlikely romance between Helen and Paul.
The show's breakout moment came in series one when Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips confronted housemate Nick Bateman about cheating. Bateman had smuggled in pen and paper to manipulate nominations, sparking national outrage and creating reality TV's first pantomime villain.
Series two brought the original Big Brother romance between Welsh hairdresser Helen Adams and car designer Paul Clarke. Their endearingly normal relationship lasted five years, a far cry from today's Love Island showmances. The same series also saw Brian Dowling become the all-time most popular winner, later becoming the first out gay children's TV presenter.
Memorable characters included Jade Goody, whose guileless utterances like 'Sherlock Holmes invented toilets' and 'Am I minging?' made her a star. Alison Hammond's garden table mishap and Alex Sibley's flirtatious lip-sync to the cameras also became iconic moments.
Later series saw the infamous 'fight night' in series five, and the hot tub pregnancy scare in series eight. More recently, the ITV reboot in 2023 featured controversial influencer Andrew Tate being evicted early, to the delight of viewers.
As the show celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extended series this autumn, these moments remind us why Big Brother remains a cultural touchstone.
