Celebrity Big Brother 2007 (UK)
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the highly controversial fifth series of the United Kingdom reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, a spin-off of Big Brother. The series was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK (also on S4C in Wales), and involved a number of celebrities referred to as 'housemates', who live in the Big Brother House with no contact with the outside world. In recent series, the show's producers have offered celebrities money to appear on Celebrity Big Brother.
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 started on 3 January 2007," Celebrity Big Brother Launch Night", Channel 4 Press. URL last accessed on 2006-12-08. and ran for 26 days. The launch show peaked at 8.2 million viewers, making it the second most-watched launch in Big Brother history. Viewing Figures The Celebrity Big Brother Show URL last accessed 2007-01-07 It was the first Celebrity Big Brother series to be shown in the 16:9 widescreen format.
On 16 January 2007 this series had attracted the largest ever number of public complaints to the UK broadcasting watchdog Ofcom about a Big Brother series." Ofcom probes Big Brother racism", BBC News. URL last accessed on 2007-01-16 The complaints received detailed concerns that housemate Shilpa Shetty had been subjected to bullying, allegedly with undertones of racism. Big Brother:thousands complain", Channel 4 News. URL last accessed on 2007-01-16 As an example, Danielle Lloyd called Shilpa "a dog" and that she should "fuck off home". This sparked widespread anger and demonstrations in India, where the alleged racism was reported on the news, and led Big Brother's main sponsor Carphone Warehouse to suspend its sponsorship of the show. Carphone axes Big Brother deal", Guardian Unlimited. URL last accessed on 2007-01-20 As of 19 January 2007, a Channel 4 spokesman agreed that participants should be made aware of the controversy, probably explaining the recent explanations and apologies tendered by the housemates and their complete lack of surprise after learning about the latest eviction.{{cite news
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As in earlier series, Davina McCall presented the main Channel 4 show. Dermot O'Leary presented Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother and Celebrity Big Brother's Big Brain. Russell Brand presented Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth. Celebrity Big Brother Diary Room Uncut," Celebrity Big Brother's Big Brain", Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-04. and live streaming also returned on the Official Channel 4 website and also on E4 at selected times.
On 28 January 2007, Shetty was voted the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2007 with 63% of the final vote.Channel 4 - Celebrity Big Brother, 28 January 2007
This was the fifth series of the reality show (in the celebrity format), and after a brief pause in 2008 for (available on E4 only) which wasn't as big a success as Channel 4 bosses had hoped for, the sixth series was shown in January 2009. Contestants were chosen during the period when the ninth series of the ordinary show was airing in 2008.
The House
The general layout of the House was largely untouched from the previous non-celebrity series. The living room and bedroom had no noticeable changes. There were several single beds in the same room, with one double bed, meaning that two housemates (Leo & Donny) had to share. The bathroom is much smaller than previous versions and the toilet and shower were no longer fitted with cameras. The dining room table was moved inside, and the kitchen fully equipped with modern conveniences. Outside the garden was a three-jet hot tub with a farmyard seating area. The bridge to Nowhere was still present, leading to a sitting area with heated seats and the topiary man. A workout area was situated just off the kitchen area. Inside the House there was also a fax machine built into the wall. On day 24 this was used to post viewers' questions to the housemates. Questions, Questions Channel Four's Official Big Brother Website. URL last accessed on 2007-01-26. Meanwhile, the Diary Room was identical to the previous summer's Big Brother, with an oversized gold chair and padded walls, the only change being the addition of yellow lights facing the walls. The House Next Door was used again, and its interior was re-designed to resemble a Victorian style kitchen, with uncomfortable beds in the bedroom, for use in the master-and-servant task.Housemates
Eleven housemates entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Day 1 followed by three more housemates on Day 3. This was more than any other celebrity series to date (the regular series in 2006 has had fourteen housemates enter on Day 1). The housemates in Celebrity Big Brother 2007 were (in alphabetical order by first name):Carole Malone
Carole Malone (born 14 October 1947) is a columnist for the Sunday Mirror. She starred in the 2006 series of Celebrity Fit Club where she was captain of the winning team as well as losing 3 stone on ITV. On Day 2 Carole broke Big Brother rules by discussing nominations with Shilpa and Cleo.Confirmed by Dermot O'Leary on the 5 January 2007 edition of Big Brother's Little Brother Carole was a servant during the Master and Servant task. Carole was put up for eviction after being unanimously chosen between her and Cleo by her fellow housemates to face the public vote as punishment for discussing nominations. Carole was evicted on Day 10. Carole has revealed that she was born in 1947 and not 1954, as previously believed." Malone evicted from Big Brother", BBC News. URL last accessed on 2007-01-12.Cleo Rocos
Cleo Rocos (born 24 July 1962 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a comic actress who appeared on The Kenny Everett Television Show. Cleo has developed a maternal role in the house and tends to look after the younger housemates and do such things as cook and clean for them, which was first pointed out by Ian and Jo on Day 2. Phew! Hot Mamma Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05 On Day 2, Cleo broke Big Brother rules by discussing nominations with Shilpa and Carole. As punishment, the rest of the housemates (except Carole but including Shilpa) were made to vote unanimously on who should face the public vote. Cleo was not chosen. Cleo was a servant during the Master and Servant task. In battle of the tribute bands she was in Jermaine's group as a member of the Jackson 5, the group won. She was evicted on Day 24, along with Jo.Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd (born Liverpool, 16 December 1983) is an English model and former Miss Great Britain (2006), stripped of her title for dating a panel judge, footballer Teddy Sheringham, and posing for Playboy. Danielle was a servant during the Master and Servant task. She was accused of racist bullying of her fellow house mate Shilpa Shetty, along with Jade Goody and Jo O'Meara. On one occasion Lloyd said that Shetty should "fuck off home", something that Big Brother questioned her about at a later date. Danielle eventually finished 5th on final night. Upon leaving the show, it generally seems that the public have been more forgiving of Lloyd than Goody or O'Meara, and she still regularly gets modelling work.Dirk Benedict
Dirk Benedict (born 1 March 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Face in The A-Team and Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica. Dirk made a unique entrance to the house by arriving via (a replica of) The A-Team van, smoking a cigar and with the theme tune playing in the background. A memorable moment occurred a few minutes after he arrived in the house, when a drunk Donny said "It's Dirk fucking Benedict", to which Dirk responded "I seldom use my middle name." Dirk made no secret of his attraction to Shilpa, even saying that he would marry her in a moment, although his attention and flirting with her was light hearted and not excessive. On Day 2 a comic feel surrounded Dirk as Shilpa learned to pronounce his name. Dirk finished third.Donny Tourette
Donny Tourette (born 4 March 1981) is the lead singer of Towers of London, a punk rock band from London. He staggered into the house in a drunken state and instantly breached Big Brother rules when his stash of alcohol was removed from his suitcase." Donny argues with Big Brother when his alcohol is confiscated from his suitcase..", Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-04. Donny escaped from the Big Brother House on 5 January 2007 by climbing over the garden wall in the House Next Door with the help of 'H' from Steps," Singer escapes from Big Brother", BBC News. URL last accessed on 2007-01-07. saying "I'm not fucking waiting hand on foot on some fucking moron and her family", referring to Jade Goody, as he climbed over. His clothes and belongings were left in the diary room by a fellow contestant.Ian "H" Watkins
Ian "H" Watkins (born 8 May 1976) is a Welsh actor and was previously a member of the pop group Steps. He came out as gay to The Sun on the same day as he entered the house.Jack Tweed
Jack Andrew Tweed, (born 9 June 1987 in Waltham Forest, London) Births England and Wales 1984–2006 is Jade Goody's widower. He entered the House on 5 January 2007 as a member of Jade's family. He was a master during the Master and Servant task. Jack left school at the age of 16. He has courted controversy over his comment (which was bleeped) and suggested that Shilpa remove objects from the toilet with her teeth. When Jade apologised to Shilpa (on day 16), Jack confessed that he was very disappointed with Jade for apologising to her and used an abusive term relating to Shilpa. Following Jade's eviction, he spent more time with former Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd, who was said to be flirting with Jack and told him "I love you" when she was drunk. Celebrity Big Brother: Danielle enjoys a Jack-uzzi The Sun Online, accessed 2007-01-22 In May 2007, Endemol released previously withheld material in which O'Meara, Tweed and Goody constructed a limerick which Endemol claimed was based around, although it did not directly use, the word "paki".Jackiey Budden
Jacqueline "Jackiey" Budden, (born January 1958) is Jade Goody's mother and entered the house on Friday 5 January as part of Jade's family. Jackiey was a master during the Master and Servant task. Jackiey caused a slight stir in the house, and upset both her daughter Jade and fellow house mates Shilpa and Ken with her demanding attitude and garrulous personality. Mum's the Word Channel 4's official Big Brother site URL last accessed 2007-01-06 She was unable to correctly pronounce Shilpa's name, so instead referred to her as "Princess" and "The Indian". On Day 8, Jackiey became the first house mate to be evicted from the Big Brother house in a surprise eviction; Jackiey left the house via the diary room and was unable to say goodbye to her fellow house mates. There was no crowd present at Jackiey's eviction and she left the house without any shoes. Her arm is paralyzed from a motorcycle accident.Jade Goody
Jade Goody (5 June 1981 – 22 March 2009) entered the house on Friday 5 January. Jade first rose to fame when she appeared in the third UK series of Big Brother and since then has gone on to have a career in the media industry. Jade was at the centre of racist bullying allegations against fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty. The Act Against Bullying charity branded her behaviour as "unforgivable". Among Jade's comments were: "Shilpa Walla", as well as suggesting Shetty "makes her skin crawl". She also referred to Shetty as 'Shilpa Poppadom'. She was evicted on Day 17, Big Brother producers and Endemol had decided not to have a live crowd present nor the usual press conference to enable them to brief Jade Goody on the recent racism allegations. In August 2008, she became a contestant in the second series of the Indian version of Big Brother (called Bigg Boss); however, she was forced to leave on day 2 after being told she had cancer.http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/goody%20confirms%20cancer%20is%20terminal_1094997 She died in her sleep after battling cancer on 22 March 2009 at 03:55AM GMT.Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson (born 11 December 1954, also known as Muhammed Abdul Aziz) is an American R&B singer, former member of The Jackson 5 and brother of pop stars Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and La Toya Jackson. On the launch show, Davina revealed that Jermaine's favourite tube line was the Central Line. In the house several of the housemates have commented that Jermaine was very shy and they therefore found it difficult to converse with him and get to know who he was.Jo O'Meara
Joanne O'Meara (born 29 April 1979 and better known as Jo O'Meara) was previously a member of the pop group S Club 7 and a former contestant on Just the Two of Us. She also had a brief solo career before pursuing a career in dog breeding. She came in for criticism for ganging up, with Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd, on fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty, along with allegations of racist bullying in the house. Jo had stated that she believed that Shilpa was a "mole," planted in the house to upset the game. She was evicted on Day 24 (with only 48% of the vote), along with Cleo Rocos. Since leaving the house Jo had apparently slipped into deep depression and even thought about suicide. Interview with Jo O'Meara SkyNews VideoKen Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell (born 3 July 1927) is an English director of such films as The Music Lovers, The Devils, The Boy Friend, Lisztomania, and Tommy, and at age 79 was the oldest male contestant in the programme's history. Since entering the house Ken prevented many of the other housemates from sleeping due to his excessive snoring. Danielle informed Ken of his snoring on Day 3 which led to many of the housemates pondering over a solution. Shut That Snore! Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-05 On Day 5 at 14:55, he voluntarily left the house after arguing with new housemate Jade Goody and her family.Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is a singer who had success in the 1970s with hits such as " When I Need You", "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", " Moonlighting" and " Thunder In My Heart". Leo found it difficult to sleep on his first night in the house as he was forced to share a bed with Donny who was naked, a prospect that Leo found uncomfortable." Leo struggles to sleep", Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-04. Leo was a servant during the Master and Servant task. He reverted to mime communication and decided to take a vow of silence, much to the confusion and annoyance of the other housemates. You Make Me Feel Like Miming Channel 4's official Big Brother site URL last accessed 2007-01-07 Leo escaped from the house by breaking open a fire door with a broom after hitting a two-way mirror on Day 10 when Big Brother refused to provide him with clean underwear." Leo's Dash for Freedom", Channel 4's official Big Brother site. URL last accessed on 2007-01-12. It was revealed later that he had overlooked clean underwear in his suitcase. He was up for eviction at the time and, though he did not know it, leading the poll.Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty (born 8 June 1975) is an award winning Indian actress and an active AIDS and PETA campaigner. Though her native language is Tulu, she is a fluent English speaker." Will Big Brother boost Shilpa?", BBC News. URL last accessed 2007-02-08. Shilpa was the victim of racist abuse from fellow housemates Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd. After one particularly loud argument with Jade, Danielle was seen laughing and saying 'That was brilliant, I think she should fuck off home'. Shilpa went on to win the contest and is said to have buried the hatchet with all of the girls involved.Daily summary and highlights
Nominations table
Notes
- When Jade, Jack, and Jackiey entered the house they became "masters" along with Jermaine, Ken, and Shilpa. The other eight housemates were chosen to be their "servants" and moved to the House Next Door. It was revealed that the masters are automatically nominated for eviction in which the viewers are to vote which housemates to save, rather than evicted. Therefore, the housemate with the least number of votes is evicted. Donny, who was originally a servant, left the house on Day 3. On Day 5, Ken voluntarily left after being involved in arguments with housemates.
- Carole and Cleo were banned from nominating as a punishment for discussing nominations earlier. Additionally, housemates had to choose one of them to face the public vote." Housemates to nominate today", Digital Spy. URL last accessed 2007-01-11. They chose Carole." The Punishment Fits the Crime", Channel Four's Official Big Brother Website. URL last accessed 2007-01-11. On Day 10, Leo escaped the house.
- The nominations were cast on Day 15 and announced on Day 16. The voting package was delayed and only shown at the end of Big Brother's Big Mouth where it was also revealed that all Channel 4's profits for this vote will go to charity.
- There was a double eviction on Day 24 and therefore the three or more housemates were placed up for the public vote rather than the two or more housemates. If there was not a double eviction, Dirk and Jo would have faced the public vote. The voting lines originally opened on Day 22 but were reset on Day 23 due to an error which stated that viewers were to vote to save Shilpa when they were in fact voting to evict. Viewers who had voted before the lines were reset were offered a full refund with all unclaimed money and profits from the vote being donated to charity Voting Reset & Refund Information Channel Four's Official Big Brother Website. URL last accessed 2007-01-26
- There were no nominations in the final two days and instead the public were voting for the housemate they wished to win rather than evict. The housemates coming 5th and 6th were evicted together in a double eviction on the final night, All 4 other housemates left the house separately.