It’s the OG show which has defined reality TV. Since its launch in 2000, Big Brother has become known as the ultimate social experiment. Stick a bunch of strangers of differing backgrounds and opinions into a house together, make them live together for around six weeks with no access to the outside world and see what happens.
Over the years, romances have blossomed – and fizzled out – in the Big Brotherhouse, friendships and alliances have been formed as winners were crowned, controversies with fiery rows and spats, plus a dash of drama and debate. The show, which originated in the Netherlands in 1999 and has been shown on pretty much every single UK channel - Channel 4, Channel 5 and ITV2 - and the show has franchise spin-offs in 63 countries.
With the 2024 series under way, we take a trip down memory lane…
2000
The first series of Big Brother, hosted by Davina McCall, premiered on Channel 4 on 18 July 2000, with 11 housemates. Bricklayer and builder Craig Phillips was crowned the show’s first winner after 64 days. A ratings success – 3.4million viewers watched the eviction episode – led to a second series. The season wasn’t without controversy: former City broker Nick ‘Nasty Nick’ Bateman was evicted after 34 days for breaking the rules and manipulating the voting process by being two-faced.
2001
The second series returned with 11 housemates in May 2001, and Brian Dowling was chosen as the champion after 64 days. Drama came in the form of two intruders who broke into the house and got into the hot tub during the fifth week. With the housemates on lockdown, security was able to remove the gatecrashers. Cupid’s arrow struck housemates Paul Clarke and Helen Adams, who ended going out for five years before they split in 2006.
2002
Season three kicked off on 24 May 2002, with 14 housemates that year including Alison Hammond and Jade Goody. An average of 5.8million people tuned into the show, with a peak of 10million viewers for the finale, making it the highest watched series of Big Brother to date. Kate Lawler won the show after 64 days, with housemates Sunita Sharma and Sandy Cummings walking out. Jade and Sophie Pritchard caused controversy amid claims that they appeared to give oral sex to Peter James ‘PJ’ Ellis and Lee Davey under the covers. Ooh er! There was a happy ending for Sophie and Lee when they became the first BB couple to get married, only for things to end ten months later.
2003
The fourth series of Big Brother launched on 23 May 2003, with 13 housemates. After the naughty antics of the last series, this season, which lasted 64 days, was much more sedate, with some viewers calling it ‘the most boring ever’. Cameron Stout won the show, beating Dubliner Ray Shah. Over 7million tuned in for the final.
2004
After a somewhat sedate season, the fifth series was packed with drama. 13 housemates entered the famous house on 28 May 2004. After 71 days, Nadia Almada became the show’s first transgender winner. Kitten Pinder was ejected from the house on day eight after constant rule-breaking, while Emma Greenwood left for her involvement in the explosive ‘Fight Night’ on day 20, which started as a food fight before getting out of hand with security having to be called in. Ofcom received over 1,000 complaints about the incident.
Michelle Bass and Stuart ‘Chicken Stu’ Wilson sparked rumours that they were the first couple in BB history to have sex on the show when they spent a huge amount of time under the table. They stayed together for a year afterwards, before going their separate ways. The show was still a winner, with nearly 9 million viewers watching the finale.
2005
Series six ended up being the largest and longest season of Big Brother, with 16 contestants living together over 78 days. Anthony Hutton was triumphant that year, with Orlaith McAllister walking out on day 65. Scenes that Anthony and Makosi Musambasi had sex in the pool and Kinga Karolczak allegedly pleasuring herself with a wine bottle led to backlash, with 7.65 million viewers watching the last episode. Love was in the air for Saskia Howard-Clarke and Maxwell Ward, who dated for two years afterwards.
2006
Pete Bennett, who had a whirlwind romance and lasting friendship with the late Nikki Grahame, was declared the winner of the seventh series, which saw a whopping 22 housemates entering the property. We also fell in love with couple Grace Adams-Short and Mikey Dalton, who remain strong to this day. The series started on 18 May 2006 and lasted 93 days. Shahbaz Chauhdry and George Askew left voluntarily while Dawn Blake was ejected for using a code to communicate with the outside world. Big no-no. Shahbaz, who had threatened to take his life on live TV, walked out on day six after claims he was being bullied, and George decided to quit because he didn’t want to be famous.
2007
Series eight aired on 30 May 2007, after the highly controversial fifth Celebrity Big Brother series involving the race row. Brian Belo won the season, beating 22 other housemates to survive in the house for 94 days, the longest to date. Chanelle Hayes (who enjoyed an on-off romance with Ziggy Lichman as they were dubbed the ‘Posh and Becks of reality TV’), Jonathan Durden and Lesley Brain quit, while Emily Parr was evicted for making a racist comment towards Charley Uchea.
2008
21 housemates entered the house on 5 June 2008, with Rachel Rice emerging victorious after 93 days. Latecomer Maysoon Shaladi, who joined the house on day 30, left after 26 days. Alexandra De-Gale was removed on day 14 after apparently making threats to her fellow housemates, while Dennis McHugh was evicted on the 23rd day after a heated row with Mohamed Mohamed. Darnell Swallow and Rex Newmark were warned over unacceptable behaviour after they appeared to be bullying Sara Folino. Romance blossomed between Lisa Appleton and Mario Marconi, who entered the house as boyfriend and girlfriend, but left as fiancés after he proposed during their stay. The couple got engaged on the show and married a year later. They spent eight years together before divorcing in 2013. Ratings had dropped by now, with the finale watched by over 5million people.
2009
The tenth series launched on 4 June 2009, lasting for 93 days with 22 housemates. Years of drama and controversies took its toll on Big Brother, with the tenth series being the lowest watched series since its inception. Sophie ‘Dogface’ Reade – who had a romance with Kris Donnelly – won the season, which was packed with drama. Kenneth Tong, who entered the house minutes after his girlfriend Karly Ashworth was evicted, escaped from the rooftop. For Rex Newmark and Nicole Cammack, the house turned out to be the make-or-break moment, with their relationship ending after their constant arguments and rows.
2010
Josie Gibson won the 11th series of Big Brother after winning the nation over with her relationship with Aussie housemate John James Parton. This was the last series to be shown on Channel 4. This season, lasting 77 days, launched on 9 June 2010 with 21 housemates. Four contestants – Laura McAdam, Keeley Johnson, Caoimhe Guilfoyle and Shabby Flanders – walked. The day after BB11 ended, Ultimate Big Brother began with Brian Dowling chosen as the ultimate BB housemate.
2011
Time for a brand new channel! Following the show’s move to Channel 5, Davina McCall decided to step down from her hosting role after 11 years and previous winner Brian took over. Aaron Allard-Morgan beat his fellow housemates to the jackpot for the 12th series, which launched on 9 September 2011 for 64 days with 14 housemates. Within 48 hours of the housemates moving in, romance rumours were sparked when Aden Theobald and Rebeckah Vaughan shared a bed, while Aaron and Faye Palmer found each other. The ultimate love story was between Jay McKray – who was the runner-up – and Louise Cliffe, who got married a year after the show. Sadly, they didn’t last. The show struggled to secure viewers like before, with only 2.2million tuning in for the final.
2012
Brian returned to host the reality show’s 13th series, which kicked off on 5 June 2012. 17 housemates entered the Big Brother property, with Luke Anderson chosen as the champion after 70 days. Ashleigh ‘Lushleigh’ Hughes and Luke Scrase found love in the house, after her initial attraction to Conor McIntyre, but their relationship ended before her eviction on day 67. Ofcom received more than 1,000 complaints about Conor’s behaviour towards Deana Uppal, which some viewers felt was bullying.
2013
Emma Willis took over from Brian to host the 14th series of Big Brother, which launched on 13 June 2013. The season saw 14 housemates, with Sam Evans winning the prize. Daley Ojuederie was booted out of the house on day 33 for being aggressive and threatening, after a heated confrontation with Hazel O’Sullivan, with whom he had been flirting up a storm. He was also banned from appearing on the show’s final. Jemima Slade was given a formal warning on the fourth day over her apparent offensive comments towards housemate Gina Rio. The finale drew 1.96million viewers.
2014
Emma returned to front the 15th series, which launched on 5 June 2014 and ran for 72 days. Helen Wood narrowly beat bookies’ favourite Ashleigh Coyle to the jackpot, by just 1.2% of the vote. With 19 housemates in the house, romance blossomed between Steven Goode and Kimberly Kisselovich – before she left on day 45, due to an ectopic pregnancy. Ratings remained dismally low for the season, with only 1.73million people tuning in for the final.
2015
The 16th season, hosted by Emma, launched on 12 May 2015 and ran for 66 days with 18 housemates. Chloe Wilburn was the last housemate standing, winning the £116,100 prize fund, the largest jackpot in BB history. Past housemates Brian Belo, Helen Wood, Nikki Grahame and Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace returned as Time Warp housemates. There had been rumblings of romance between Danny Wisker and Sarah Greenwood, and Jade-Martina Lynch and Matthew ‘Cristian MJC’ Clarkson, though none lasted.
2016
Launching on 7 June 2016, 19 housemates entered this year’s house for 50 days. Jason Burrill was announced as the winner of the 17th series, beating fellow housemates including controversial contestant Andrew Tate and twins Victoria and Emma Jensen. Andrew was booted out on day eight after a video surfaced of him allegedly attacking a woman. Victoria escaped on day five, leaving her sister to continue solo until she was removed on day 31 for not ‘abiding by the rules’ after repeatedly trying to break out.
2017
The 18th series, presented by Emma, launched on 5 June 2017. After 54 days, Isabelle Warburton was voted the winner. This season saw four housemates leaving the property before the final. Arthur Fulford, who divided viewers with his erratic behaviour, quit the show on the seventh day after feeling bullied. Sukhvinder Javeed left the house on day 12 during her husband Imran’s eviction. Kayleigh Morris was booted out on day 13 for making threats of violence and threatening behaviour, followed by Lotan Carter on day 21 for aggressive behaviour. Gemma Collins, Josie Gibson and Nicola McLean were amongst the special guests who appeared on the series.
2018
At the age of 19, Cameron Cole became the show’s youngest winner in Big Brother’s 18-year history when he won the 19th series, the last season to air on Channel 5. He warmed himself to the nation when he came out as gay on the show. The season, featuring 14 housemates, began on 14 September 2018 and lasted for 53 days. Three housemates left early: Ellis Hillon left on the second day after old social media posts about the 9/11 terror attacks resurfaced and TV producers deemed them ‘offensive and unacceptable’, Kay Lovelle left for her mental health after she was up for eviction and Lewis Flanagan was removed for his ‘toxic’ behaviour with the use of unacceptable language and breaking the rules. While romance didn’t last for Cian Carrigan and Zoe Jones, they remained friends.
2023
After a five-year break, it was announced that Big Brother would be returning to screens, this time on ITV2. The milestone 20th series with 16 housemates, hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, launched on 8 October 2023. Jordan Sangha was voted the winner after 42 days, after keeping the nation glued with his relationship with Henry Southan, which fans dubbed ‘Jenry’. There were no walk-outs or ejections. With 1.6million viewers watching the final, this was a successful comeback – it was the highest rated series of the reality show since 2010.
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Shereen Low is a senior news and entertainment writer for heat