Celebrity Big Brother has been hit by a series of turmoil since its first season, and its return to ITV could spell even more.
When the regular series first aired in 2001, a year after it became a ratings hit for Channel 4, Jack Dee briefly tried to leave, but returned and went on to win the show.
The comedian and actor had been persuaded to appear on the BBC’s Comic Relief show, but decided to quit after managing to avoid eviction.
He first tried to use a pitchfork to dig a way out of the house, but then he chose the gate and walked right through it.
Dee evaded studio security for about an hour, but was found with mud smeared on her face as “camouflage” and taken back to the Big Brother house.
We’ve rounded up other notable moments ahead of the format’s broadcast on ITV on Monday.
– Les Dennis is down in the dumps.
In 2002, comedian and Family Fortune host Les Dennis moved into the house still dealing with a breakup from his then-wife Amanda Holden.
He became depressed and complained to everyone about how miserable he was, even the house chickens and Big Brother.
Dennis ended up being the runner-up, garnering sympathy from viewers.
– Jackie Stallone suffers without a servant
Jackie Stallone, mother of Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone, came into the house saying, “Yes, Jackie!” In 2005.
She arrived after her former daughter-in-law, Brigitte Nielsen. As for Brigitte Nielsen, she’s outspoken. They settled their differences in the house.
The former professional wrestling promoter claims she has trouble getting along with her other housemates and is unable to perform simple tasks such as making tea or opening a bottle of wine, which are usually carried out by staff. said that it would be done.
Stallone passed away in 2020 at the age of 98.
– George Galloway pretends to be a cat
George Galloway, recently elected as Rochdale MP, sparked public outrage when he joined the House of Commons in 2006.
During his time on the reality show, a website was set up to calculate how much council tax voters in Bethnal Green and Bow were paying at the time.
He and Coronation Street actress Lula Lenska have taken their shopping chores to an outrageous level.
Galloway got down on all fours pretending to be a cat, and Lenska made Galloway fuss and pretend to scoop milk from a saucer.
– Preston and Chantel, a real-life love story
Chantel Houghton, who worked as a Paris Hilton lookalike, entered the house in 2006 and was given the task of fooling celebrities into believing she was in an all-girl band, which she did.
She also struck up a relationship with Ordinary Boys singer Preston, real name Samuel Preston, and the two married after leaving home.
This relationship did not last long and ended in 2007.
– Bullying at BB House
The late reality TV star Jade Goody, glamor model Danielle Lloyd and S Club star Joe O’Meara were accused of racism over an altercation with Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty in 2007.
The show received 45,000 complaints from viewers about the actions and words of the three women, and the show also drew criticism from politicians.
Media watchdog Ofcom highlighted three instances where it felt Channel 4 had breached its code of conduct.
Goody left the scene after getting into an argument with Shetty over chicken.
Ms Shetty forgave her, and when Ms Goody died in 2009 after being diagnosed with cancer, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown also paid tribute.
– Alex Reid prays for salvation
Stephen Baldwin, a born-again Christian and actor who is the younger brother of 30-year-old rock star Alec Baldwin, entered the house in 2010 on the condition that he read the Bible for an hour a day.
He was also active in sharing what he learned in religion with other housemates, and TV personality Katie Price’s then-partner Alex Reid was one of the few who listened to him. I was alone.
In one exchange, Baldwin told Reed: “God has a plan for your brother, and He wants to reveal it to you, to show it to you.”
Mr. Reed replied, “I’m happy to believe it.”
Baldwin then led Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Reid, who won the final series hosted by Channel 4, to a prayer of salvation.
– Christopher Biggins is sacked.
In 2016, pantomime star Christopher Biggins was dropped from the Channel 5 show after making a number of comments, including suggesting that bisexual people were contributing to the Aids epidemic.
“Since joining Big Brother, he has made a number of comments that have the potential to cause great offense to housemates and viewers,” the show said at the time.
“Big Brother does not tolerate offensive language that is likely to cause widespread offense.”
– David Bowie dies
More than 200 people complained in 2016 after Channel 5 aired a scene in which American TV personality Tiffany Pollard incorrectly identified fellow contestant David Guest as dead.
After being informed that her ex-husband David Bowie had passed away, the reality star was left in hysterics when Angie Bowie confided to her: “David is dead.”
The guest was taking a nap at the time.
The 62-year-old producer died three months later, forcing Pollard to remove the “David is Dead” slogan T-shirt from her website.
– Kim Woodburn sent off.
How clean is your house in 2017? star Kim Woodburn, who is one half of the TV cleaning team along with Aggie Mackenzie, was ordered Celebrity Big by security after an explosive altercation with several housemates.・I was taken away from my brother’s house.
When she was evicted, she called her housemates “chinless wonders”.
– Ryan Thomas is scared of Punch drama
Soap star Ryan Thomas won the last series of Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, but was embroiled in a scandal after actress Roxanne Parrett claimed he intentionally hurt her with a punch during his appearance on the show. caught up in.
Viewers defended the incident as a fight, and a clip of the incident was played in a post-eviction interview in which Thomas told host Emma Willis how scared he was as the drama unfolded.
Thomas is currently competing on Dancing on Ice.
