''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'' was a special series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'', a spin-off series of the British reality television programme ''
Big Brother
Big Brother may refer to:
* Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''
** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control
** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...
''. It was broadcast on
E4 from 3–28 January 2008. A number of closely associated programmes also aired on the same channel.
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
– who had hosted ''Big Brother's Little Brother'' since 2001 – was the main host of ''Celebrity Hijack'', and it was his final series of ''Big Brother''.
The series was announced on 8 October 2007 by
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and that it would be replacing ''Celebrity Big Brother'' in January 2008, due to the widely publicised
racism controversy in ''
Celebrity Big Brother 5''. In 2009, ''Celebrity Big Brother'' returned to Channel 4 and no further series of ''Celebrity Hijack'' were produced.
The premise of the series saw one celebrity a day taking control, with the help of Big Brother; organising their own tasks, making their own rules and talking to the housemates in the Diary Room. They were in charge of a set of housemates, ranging in age from 18- to 21-years-old and all having a special talent.
The housemates competed to be the last to leave the house for a £50,000 prize.
The series ended on 28 January with
John Loughton
''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'' was a special series of ''Celebrity Big Brother'', a spin-off series of the British reality television programme '' Big Brother''. It was broadcast on E4 from 3–28 January 2008. A number of closely associated ...
being voted as the winner.
Production
Eye Logo
The "eye" logo used for ''
Big Brother 8'' was adapted to include the star used in celebrity versions and a splatter of purple paint across it to signify that the eye itself had been "hijacked". The colour of the splat is the same purple used for the E4 logo. The logo was unveiled on 3 December 2007.
Sponsorship
The series was sponsored by
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Ara ...
,
who took over from parent company
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
, the sponsors of ''Big Brother 8''.
Broadcasts
The majority of ''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'' was broadcast on E4, with the first hour of the launch show being broadcast on E4 and Channel 4. The live launch, eviction shows, finale and ''
Big Brother's Little Brother
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' were hosted by
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
– who had been the host of ''Little Brother'' since ''
Big Brother 2
''Big Brother 2'' is the second season of various versions of '' Big Brother'' and may refer to:
* ''Big Brother 2'' (Netherlands), the 2000 edition of the Dutch version of ''Big Brother''
* ''Big Brother Germany'' (season 2), the 2000 version ...
'' in 2001. In 2007, O'Leary announced his departure from ''Big Brother'', and ''Celebrity Hijack'' would be his last. E4 broadcast live coverage from the house, as well as ''
Big Brother's Big Mouth
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'', which was hosted by
Mathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne (born 6 September 1978) is an English actor, comedian, television presenter and narrator. He is best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably ''Gavin & Stacey'' (as Gavin Shipman), ''The Ca ...
and
James Corden
James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey''. In the Un ...
, who were guest hosts during ''Big Brother 8'' the previous summer. They would not return for any subsequent series of ''Big Brother'' or ''Celebrity Big Brother''.
Housemates
The housemates for this series were a mixture of British 18- to 21-year-olds, all with a special talent.
Amy Jackson
Jacqueline Amy Jackson
[GRO Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1984 – 2005] (born 1986,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
) is a
conceptual art
Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
ist who lived in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
where she attended Leeds Girls' High School.
She holds an MFA in Fine Art from
The Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art
The Ruskin School of Art, known as the Ruskin, is an art school at the University of Oxford, England. It is part of Oxford's Humanities Division.
History
The Ruskin grew out the Oxford School of Art, which was founded in 1865 and later became ...
part of the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. She won the
Geoffrey Rhodes Prize for the highest first-year exam results, and is a multi-award-winning conceptual artist working with photography and
installations – Amy doesn't paint as she finds it 'too messy'. Amy wanted to incorporate her experience in the Big Brother House into her artwork. She is an accomplished musician who plays the saxophone, piano,
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
and
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...
. During the Andy McNab task, both Amy and Anthony were taken away and interrogated. They were both given a code and whoever didn't tell the code to McNab won a £5,000 prize and
immunity
Immunity may refer to:
Medicine
* Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease
* ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press
Biology
* Immune system
Engineering
* Radiofrequence immunity desc ...
to that week's eviction. Jackson was favourite to win the series, but she finished third place on the final day, Day 26. Jackson eventually graduated with a first-class degree in a Fine Art from The University of Oxford. Since leaving university she founded a new website called Lost Found and Loved Again for likeminded artists and designers who create upcycled goods from vintage items and a Pop Up Supper Club calle
Everything But The Ham an experiential dining company in London, which raises funds and awareness for crucial causes. Amy Jackson still works as an artist creating public art and participating in group and solo exhibitions. In recent years she studied Sustainable Finance at the
Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (also known as the Smith School) is an interdisciplinary hub of the University of Oxford directed by Professor Cameron Hepburn
Cameron Hepburn is the Director of the Smith School of Enterpri ...
,
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and also works in responsible investment where she presents about issues surrounding climate change on radio shows and podcasts including Breaking Banks.
Anthony Ogogo
Anthony Osezua Ogogo
(born 24 November 1988 in
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
, Suffolk) is an international
boxer Boxer most commonly refers to:
* Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing
*Boxer (dog), a breed of dog
Boxer or boxers may also refer to:
Animal kingdom
* Boxer crab
* Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans
* Boxer snipe ee ...
who has captained Great Britain's team in the World European and Junior Olympic Tournaments. He won the Junior Olympics in 2004, picked up the Most Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament and was crowned World Under 17 Champion in 2005. He represented Great Britain in the Summer 2012 London Olympics and won a Bronze Medal. Training three times a day, Anthony's overall ambition is to become World Champion, but he would also love to become the first mixed-race James Bond. His boxing name is 'Beautiful Brown Suga'.
On Day 26, Anthony was evicted, despite being second favourite to win, he came fourth. In 2015 Anthony participated in Strictly Come Dancing. In 2019, Anthony Ogogo had to retire from boxing following a serious eye injury.
Calista Robertson
Calista Kazuko Robertson
(born 27 March 1988 in London) is a classical musician and children's music teacher. She has been playing the violin since she was 3 years-old and can also play the piano. Her father Paul Robertson is one of the founding members of the Medici String Quartet. She is currently studying at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
, where she receives instrumental tuition via the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
.
Calista specialised in composition at The
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
's junior academy under David Knotts and was awarded full scholarships to attend Miguel Mera's Film Music course with Stile Antico in 2007, both at Dartington Summer School. Calista has written over 100 songs ranging from full orchestral to cheesy pop, including the newly famous (thanks to
Harry Hill
Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performan ...
) 'Bongo Jam'. She also teaches piano to 7- to 9-year-olds, as well as privately teaching violin, singing and music theory. Calista was the sixth housemate to be evicted, and left the house on Day 23 in a double eviction. Calista also went to St Catherine's School in Bramley as her secondary school.
Emilia Arata
Carmen Emilia Arata
(born 1989,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
) is a professional circus performer. She and her brother Victor have performed in front of the likes of
The Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...
and
The Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...
. They also took part in
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...
's
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
talent show ''
When Will I Be Famous?
"When Will I Be Famous?" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, "When Will I Be Famous?" was released as a single in November 1987. The following year, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, top ...
'' in 2007 where they went on to win.
Emilia comes from seven generations of circus performers and has been in training since she was four years old, performing professionally for the first time when she was six. Emilia performs six nights a week at the Palazzo Variety Show in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
with her brother Victor. Their mother Carmen is a trainer on
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
reality show ''
Cirque de Celebrite
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
''. Emilia has a list of work-related injuries that include broken knee, shoulder, wrist, fingers, and several ribs. Throughout the series, Emilia was regularly booed by the crowds outside the house, however despite facing three eviction votes, she survived them all to make a surprise appearance in the final. She speaks fluent Italian. Emilia was announced as the runner-up, on Day 26, with 46.1% of the votes. In 2015, Emilia and her other brother, Billy, appeared on Britain's Got Talent. In 2017, Emilia and Billy appeared on the
12th season of ''
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...
''.
Jade Eden
Jade Keiley Eden
(born 28 November 1986) is a professional beauty queen. Jade has won numerous beauty pageant awards including Miss Essex 2006, Miss Winchester 2007 and came third in
Miss England
Miss England is a national beauty pageant in England.
History
The contest, title owned by the Miss World organisation is organised each year by Angie Beasley, a winner of 25 beauty contests in the 1980s and has organised beauty pageants ar ...
behind Naomi Smith who came second and Georgia Horsley. She is just back from competing in Miss Global City where she won the European section and was also awarded with Miss Sunshine Beauty 2007. She has been a member of
Mensa since the age of four. Jade won a scholarship to a school for gifted children and recently graduated from The Urdang Academy in Covent Garden where she was also awarded a scholarship for Professional Musical Theatre. Jade is also an award-winning dancer. She competed internationally in Artistic Gymnastics and won 3rd prize for most expressive floor routine.
She also featured in the music video for
Blazin' Squad
Blazin' Squad were an English hip hop group. The group had seven top ten hits, including "Crossroads", a cover version of the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony original. Jon O'Brien of AllMusic called them the "self-proclaimed pioneers of 'chav' culture". ...
's single, "
We Just Be Dreamin'
"We Just Be Dreamin' " is a song by ten piece hip-hop group Blazin' Squad, released as the lead single from their second studio album, ''Now or Never (Blazin' Squad album), Now or Never''.
Background
Despite the final single from ''In the Beginn ...
". On Day 9, Jade was the first housemate to be evicted.
Recently, Jade appeared on the
Walkers crisps
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer mainly operating in the UK and Ireland. The company is best known for manufacturing potato crisps and other (non-potato-based) snack foods. In 2013, it held 56% of the British crisp market. Walker ...
Do Us a Flavour campaign as one of the dancers for its Onion Baji advertisement.
Jay Wilson
Jay Clive Wilson (born 13 April 1988 in London, England) is a fashion designer whose work has been showcased in both the
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
fashion week
A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, where fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. These events influence the upcoming fashion ...
.
Jay has previously won the Tyler Media Award for young designers. He is stocked in some of the many design stores in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and describes his range as chic, classic and simplistic. Jay was the fifth housemate to be evicted, and left the house on Day 23 in a double eviction.
Jeremy Metcalfe
Jeremy Robert Metcalfe
(born 9 April 1988 in
Fleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart District
Hart is a local government district in Hampshire, England, named after the River Hart. Its council is based in Fleet. It was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 197 ...
) is a racing driver currently competing in the
British Formula Renault Championship
British Formula Renault Championship referred to one of two Formula Renault championships that were held in the United Kingdom. The main series was Renault Sport, Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship which ...
. The first time Jeremy got behind the wheel of a go-kart at the age of eight, he broke the track record on his first lap, and since then his life has revolved around
karting
Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on f ...
and latterly racing driving. He won the British Cadet Kart Championship in 2000, in 2006 Jeremy was nominated for the
McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year and in 2007 he was named as the
BRDC
The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) is an exclusive invitation-only members club for racecar drivers who are judged to have achieved success in the upper levels of motor sport for a number of seasons. Except under exceptional circumstances, me ...
Rising Star,
classing him in the top six or so best young drivers in the UK. On Day 26 Jeremy was evicted, coming in fifth place.
John Loughton
John Loughton (born 1987 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
) is a political campaigner. He is currently Chairperson of the
Scottish Youth Parliament
The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is a youth-led, democratic organisation which aims to represent the young people of Scotland.
The SYP is made up of around 166 democratically-elected representatives aged 14–25 from across Scotland. Represe ...
and hopes to run for senior office in 2009.
On launch night, he was chosen by
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little Britain'' (2003–2006, 2020) and '' Come Fly ...
, the hijacker at the time, to enter the house first and take part in a secret mission. His secret mission was to wear an ear piece through which Matt could speak to him and tell him what to do / say to each housemate as they entered the house. If he passed his mission he would win immunity from every eviction and a party for his fellow housemates. If he failed he would be up for every eviction. He passed and won himself a place in the final week. John was the winner of the series, taking 53.9% of the final vote.
In April 2008, he was appointed as a member of the
Commission on Scottish Devolution
The Commission on Scottish Devolution ( gd, Coimisean Fèin-riaghlaidh na h-Alba, sco, Commeessioun on Scots Devolutioun), also referred to as the Calman Commission or the Scottish Parliament Commission or Review, was established by an oppositi ...
. At the
2010 United Kingdom general election
The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom unde ...
, John stood as the Lib Dem candidate in
East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency.
Latoya Satnarine
Latoya Linette Satnarine
(born 8 November 1987 in London) is a professional dancer who has appeared in over 20 music videos for artists including
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, and was also booked for a
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
concert tour. In 2007 she was nominated for the Best Female Dancer in the Dance Off Awards.
Latoya has appeared dancing in over 20 music videos for artists including
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Jamelia
'
Jamelia Niela Davis (born 11 January 1981) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. She has released three studio albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in the UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top-ten singl ...
and
Craig David
Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger (UK band), Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ' ...
amongst others. She says she is most proud of being booked as a concert dancer for
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
, as Carey doesn't usually use British dancers. On Day 21, in a surprise eviction Latoya became the fourth housemate to be evicted.
Liam Young
Liam Young
(born 1 November 1988 in
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
)
was the registered director of a website services company called OxyUK Technologies Limited. Liam claimed to be bisexual and was the second housemate to be evicted on Day 16, in a double eviction.
Nathan Fagan-Gayle
Nathan Abraham Fagan-Gayle
(born 1986, London), also known by his stage name Starboy Nathan, is an
R&B singer and songwriter. He released his first album, "
Masterpiece
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
" in 2006. In 2007 he was nominated for the Best R&B Act at the
MOBO Awards
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...
and is an
Urban Music Awards
The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries.
The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...
winner. Having achieved a top 40 hit, Nathan already has a critically acclaimed album under his belt, entitled ''Masterpiece''. Nathan pens his own music and also counts rapping and music producing amongst his talents. Nathan had sung with
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
at the age of 15 years, and has interviewed her for his school. On Day 26 Nathan was evicted, coming in sixth place.
In 2012, he made it to judges' houses on the
ninth series of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' but
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...
chose not to take him through to the live finals.
Victor Arata
Vittorio "Victor" Arata
(born April 1988,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
) is a professional circus performer. He and his sister Emilia perform as a double-act at the Palazzo Variety Show in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. Before entering the house the pair appeared on the talent show ''
When Will I Be Famous?
"When Will I Be Famous?" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, "When Will I Be Famous?" was released as a single in November 1987. The following year, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, top ...
'' hosted by
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...
where they went on to win the £10,000 prize.
The contortionist acts he performs with his sister are extreme and carry a high risk – Victor has broken an elbow (which now contains a metal screw), his knee and his fingers. Emilia and Victor's mother Carmen is a trainer on
Sky One
Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
reality show
Cirque de Celebrite
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...
.
He speaks fluent Italian. On Day 16 he became the third person to be evicted with 32% of the public vote. This was a double eviction. His sister, Emilia and close friend Jeremy survived the double eviction and both landed in the Top 5 in the finale, with his sister taking runner-up.
Celebrity Hijackers
The celebrity "hijackers" took on the role of Big Brother on one-day contracts.
*
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962) are British visual artists, often known as the Chapman Brothers. Their subject matter tries to be deliberately shocking, including, in 2008, a series of works that ...
were reported to be hijackers but pulled out of the show.
*
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...
also agreed to hijack the house but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.
* There was no celebrity hijacker on the final day, day 26.
The House
Although much of the house was the same as the house used for Big Brother 8 there were some changes. The bedroom was painted green. The fridge was brought inside the house (during the main series the house had an "everything not where it should be" theme which saw the fridge in the garden). Many of the walls had pictures on of various things such as monkeys holding cameras and a shopping trolley on the door to the store room.
The pool was replaced with a hot tub due to the show being broadcast in January. The sofas were changed to be all purple, in keeping in the
E4 theme of the house. There were also splatters of purple paint on the wall similar to those on the logo. The house was also given a new timber floor opposed to the pink carpet used for the main series. The bath was moved to the bathroom. The bedroom saw the biggest changes of all the rooms in the house. It was given a whole new set of furniture, with individual beds, instead of the four-person beds from the summer. The walls were painted green, some with wallpaper of skyscrapers. A gym (including exercise bicycles and a treadmill) was built, which could be entered from the bedroom. Two walls are orange, two are giant photos of mountains overlooking a lake. The hair dryers were removed and a bath was installed. The shower remained unchanged. The diary room chair remained the same except for the fact that the lights inside the chair were coloured purple to stay with the
E4 theme. A hidden spiral staircase was used when
Andy McNab
Steven Billy Mitchell, (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former British Army infantry soldier.
He came into public prominence in 1993 when he published a book entitled ''Brav ...
hijacked the house to reach interrogation room 2. The spiral staircase was again used when
Chris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles (born 22 February 1974) is an English radio and television presenter, author and presenter of ''The Chris Moyles Show'' on Radio X.
Previously he has presented ''The Chris Moyles Show'' on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 20 ...
hijacked the house to reach a secret bar. It was accessed from a secret door inside the bedroom toilet. There was also another room that could be accessed from the storage room. It was used for tasks such as
Janet Street-Porter
Janet Vera Street-Porter (''née'' Bull; born 27 December 1946) is an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and media personality. She began her career as a fashion writer and columnist at the ''Daily Mail'' and was later appointed fashion e ...
's television task and
Mathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne (born 6 September 1978) is an English actor, comedian, television presenter and narrator. He is best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably ''Gavin & Stacey'' (as Gavin Shipman), ''The Ca ...
and
James Corden
James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey''. In the Un ...
's love room. As well, the vestibule that was used in the previous civilian series was removed, therefore the doors that originally led into the vestibule from the stairs now led into the main house.
Broadcasts
The launch of the show was broadcast on both Channel 4 and E4; subsequent shows including the final were only shown on E4.
The live launch, evictions, and special episodes were hosted by
Dermot O'Leary
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...
and introduced the first celebrity hijacker. Like the main series, live footage aired through the night.
''
Big Brother's Little Brother
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' was hosted by Dermot O'Leary. It was shown Monday-Friday at 7.30 pm and Sundays at 7 pm.
It was O'Leary's last series as he departed from the show to focus on his
X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
duties.
''
Big Brother's Big Mouth
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' was hosted by
James Corden
James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English television host, actor, comedian, and singer. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey''. In the Un ...
and
Mathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne (born 6 September 1978) is an English actor, comedian, television presenter and narrator. He is best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably ''Gavin & Stacey'' (as Gavin Shipman), ''The Ca ...
. Big Mouth aired Monday-Thursday at 10 p.m. and Fridays at 10.30 pm.
Corden and Horne were chosen as permanent hosts after being guest hosts during
Big Brother 8.
''
Diary Room Uncut
This is a complete list of shows about and relating to ''Big Brother UK'' and ''Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018.
''Big Brother''
''Big Brother'' was a daily sho ...
'' aired on Saturdays at 10 pm.
This year however there was no online live feed on Channel 4 or their sponsor
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
's site. Also, as the series progressed the amount of live coverage on
E4 was shortened.
Daily summary
Nominations table
Notes
*Celebrity hijacker Matt Lucas set John a secret mission on Day 1. Wearing a hidden earpiece, John had to do and say everything that Matt instructed him to do without the housemates knowing he was on a secret task. Success meant a guaranteed place in the final, whilst failure meant automatic eviction every single time. John passed the task, guaranteeing himself a place in the final.
*When Amy won a task on Day 10 she won immunity from this week's eviction. She also got to choose another housemate to be immune. She chose Anthony. Finally, due to losing the task against Amy, Anthony had to put one housemate up for eviction and he chose Victor. On Day 13, celebrity hijacker Joan Rivers selected Emilia, Jeremy and Liam to also face the public vote. It was a double eviction, meaning two housemates would be evicted.
*The housemates nominated live. They each had two minutes to go to a private area and write down their two nominations. They were not obliged to give reasons for their nominations. They then all announced their nominations to each other at the dining table. Also, because of a double eviction planned that week, it was the three or more housemates with the most nominations that would go up rather than the normal two or more. Had there been no double eviction, Nathan and Jeremy would have been the only two up.
*There were no nominations in the final week, instead the public voted for who they wanted to win the show. The housemate with the most votes would go on to win the show.
References
External links
* on
Channel4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
{{Big Brother UK
2008 British television seasons
Celebrity Hijack
''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'' was a special series of ''Celebrity Big Brother'', a spin-off series of the British reality television programme '' Big Brother''. It was broadcast on E4 from 3–28 January 2008. A number of closely associated ...