Would you believe me if I told you that the first ever series of Big Brother aired 22 years ago?
The not-so-humble beginnings of the show followed eleven contestants, known as housemates, isolated from the outside world for weeks in a custom built house. One was evicted by a public vote each week until the last person standing would bag a cash prize of £70,000.
The programme established the central formula of British reality television, with lovable host Davina McCall fronting the chaotic mess of arguments, paranoia and bizarre challenges that had you questioning your own sanity.
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The first ever series of the show, which launched on Channel 4 in July 2000, was watched by a then jaw-dropping figure of 4.5 million viewers.
We took a look back at the line-up of series one housemates to see what they are up to today.
Craig Phillips - Winner
Former builder and champion of the first ever series of Big Brother, Craig Phillip announced after his win that he'd be giving the £70,000 cash prize to his friend Joanne Harris, who had Down syndrome, in order to pay for her heart and lung transplant. With support and donations being made by various celebs following his stint on the show, he paid the £250,000 she needed.
Now arguably a household name, the 50-year-old reality star has since gone on to appear in popular television shows including Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Bo' Selecta, Blankety Blank and 60 Minute Makeover among various other series'. In June 2020, he made a guest appearance on Big Brother's Best Shows, where he talked about watching his series back.
Craig has created widely-adored online videos for the past five years combining his knowledge of building and TV, with his latest lockdown project having been aimed at helping people improve their DIY skills and their homes.
He now lives with his wife and two daughters on the outskirts of Liverpool.
Anna Nolan - Runner up
Anna Nolan, known for being the 'lesbian nun' and gaining a large fan-base on the 2000 series, finished in second place in the final.
After leaving the show, she began working in television, paving the way for future Big Brother housemates who were to do the same while also starring in her own shows, Anna in Wonderland and Closure. She is now best known for hosting the Great Irish Bake-Off.
It doesn't seem as though the TV personality looks back on her Big Brother experience with fond memories.
She later told the BBC: "There were moments when I wanted to leave due to boredom, or people irritating me, or missing people at home. Did I enjoy it? It wasn't about enjoying it, it was about getting through it."
Big Brother host Davina said that Anna was the only housemate she ever became dear friends with and that the two remained close.
Darren Ramsay - 3rd place
When he entered the Big Brother house, third place Darren Ramsay was an aspiring model and dancer, however it was a quiet year for him following his departure.
He appeared on Good Good Live on the UK Food channel, as well as on a Weakest Link reality television special. He also trained as a flight attendant for TV show Airline, but he was asked to leave.
Darren now reportedly works for a research company, recently admitting: "It’s refreshing to do a nine-to-five job. But I would love to do I’m A Celebrity or Strictly Come Dancing. I want to put on some rhinestones and revive my little 15 minutes of fame."
Melanie Hill - 4th place
Dubbed the "series flirt", Melanie Hill was just 26 when she entered the Big Brother house, only to land in fourth place.
Despite her involvement in one of the series' most notoriously popular story-lines - kissing fellow contestants Andrew Davidson and Tom McDermott - she is now adamant that she wants to use her platform to campaign for change, stepping out of the stoplight and training to become a barrister.
The now 47-year-old has opened up about the regret she feels for having taken part in the show, arguing she was made to appear as a "bikini-posing tart" by editors.
She told the Metro last year: "It was very telling that was the angle they were pursuing. If I’d been white or male, I don’t think that would have happened."
Although she was scarred by her experience on the Channel 4 show, she dated Series 3 contestant Alex Sibley for three years before battling for custody over their pet rescue dog, Poppy, and racked up a reported £25,000 in legal fess fighting over her.
Claire Strutton - 5th place
Despite being a late arrival to the show, arriving after "Nasty" Nick was booted off (we'll get to that later!), Claire Strutton proved to be a big hit with the other contestants, all of whom adored her. Particular Tom McDermott, who she married after filming and had a baby with.
Although they've since split up, the florist-turned-TV star is now married to businessman Ian Radford and the two own a luxury beach resort in Marbella, as well as popular nightclubs across Gibraltar and in Chigwell, Essex.
She previously presented a TV show called Dance 2000 about clubbing culture, as well as reality series The Salon and Living in Spain but an on-screen career was not to be for Claire.
Tom McDermott - 6th place
"House hunk" Tom McDermott certainly set pulses racing upon arrival, but he soon captured our hearts when he found love with housemate Claire.
The two shared custody of their son, Pierce, and Tom now lives in a village on the coast of Cornwall with his wife of ten years, where he runs his own property company.
Surprisingly, his ex, Claire, did the flowers for his wedding to his new wife as they stayed friends and reportedly Whatsapp regularly.
Speaking about her former partner's relationship in an interview two years ago, Claire explained: "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 - 7th place
Coming in at No. 7 is Nichola Holt, the buzzcut-haired artists who hit the headlines during filming for stripping on the show to make clay imprints of her naked body on the walls of the house.
After the show she tried her hand at pop stardom, releasing the dance track The Game - sadly, it only peaked at number 72 in the charts.
The Bolton-born lass recently opened up to the Manchester Evening News about the "horrendous" fallout from her appearance on the show, which lasted years and drove her to a mental breakdown.
She said: "We were the guinea pigs because we were in the first ones and being involved in that was really exciting and I had a really good time in there. But also it's really stressful, we didn't know what was going on. It turned out to be very traumatic for me from the moment I left the house. We had no agents, now people have got agents, designers, people sponsoring them with clothing before they go on the programme. We had none of that."
Nick Bateman - Disqualified
Well, well, well... look who it is!
"Nasty" Nick Bateman, as dubbed by the British tabloid press, was kicked off the show due to his duplicitous nature which saw him playing members off against one another, most commonly in the form of note-passing. After being confronted for his actions by series winner Craig Phillips, he was booted out through the back-door famously saying: "You live by the sword, you die by the sword."
The noughties TV icon allegedly enjoyed the media exposure that followed the broadcast of the show, as he went on to present the television show Trust Me, write a book entitled Nasty Bateman: How to be a Right Bastard and featured in reality series Back to Reality, as well as in the Big Brother pantomime. Surprisingly, years later, he featured as the narrator in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Show.
He recently moved to Sydney, where he reunited with Phillips, but their meeting was seemingly as bitter as their last, with Craig telling the press: "I knew Nick was living in Sydney so I spent four or five hours with him over a couple of bottles of wine. Sometimes you can catch him when he’s a bit normal but because Laura was there it was lie after lie after lie!"
"Nasty" Nick soon snapped back with his own comment however, tweeting: "It’s funny that the people you invite to your house to stay for free, and take time out to see when they visit you in another country, are the ones to throw under the bus for a few £."
Caroline O'Shea - 9th place
Brummie dancer and pop star wannabe Caroline O'Shea finished in 9th place, as the third housemate to be evicted. Despite being unemployed when she first entered the house, quickly irritating her co-stars with her 'distinctive' laugh, she was last seen making a brief appearance in Ultimate Big Brother in 2010 to participate in a task.
After leaving the House, Caroline went into retail selling adult toys, but always dreamed of launching a music career.
Despite describing herself on the show 22 years ago as "energetic, open, truthful, great sense of humour, perceptive, and tolerant until pushed then apparently I'm scary", she is now pursuing a career in acting and can be found on a casting website.
Like Darren Ramsey, she has appeared in the reality special of The Weakest Link, and has more recently been spotted as an extra on TOWIE.
Andrew Davidson - 10th place
Despite being the second housemate evicted, Andy Davidson, who became famous for kissing Melanie in the house, is now working as the head client strategy at a London-based insight and brand consultancy firm called Flamingo.
The handsome Middlesex lad, who added some much-needed sanity to the chaotic house, is now a father of three.
After departing the show, he briefly worked at MTV before creating a $1.5 million business which conducts research for brands such as Weetabix, McVitie’s, Doritos, Idea and Starbucks.
You might also be surprised to learnt that he is in fact the brother of Formula One racing driver and BBC Radio Five commentator, Anthony Davidson. Who knew?
Sada Walkington - 11th place
You might not be familiar with our last housemate, as Sada Walkington has since changed her name after being the first person to be evicted from the Big Brother house.
Now known as Guru Amrit Dev, the trained actress now lives in Argentina with her musician husband Sat Man Swaraj, as well as their twin daughters Indigo and Padma, and is employed as a yoga instructor.
After the series ended, she was believed to have been involved in a romantic relationship with housemate Nichola, but this apparently ended after two months.
In terms of on-screen work, her appearance on a shampoo commercial bagged her £10,000, while a car advert reportedly earned her a free car.
