BIG Brother's is officially returning in October, but the first series hit our screens 23 years ago at the start of the new millennium, marking the beginning of the reality TV era.
The cult classic, which aired on Channel 4 and was hosted by Davina McCall, introduced us to a host of interesting characters — including 'Nasty Nick Bateman — but what are the first ever housemates up to now?
Craig Phillips — winner
Craig was working as a building company boss when he entered the house and after winning the show gave his £70,000 prize to his friend Joanne Harris, who has Down’s syndrome, to pay for her heart and lung transplant.
Following his success, Craig launched a career as a DIY expert and hosted shows such as 60 Minute Makeover.
He has his own production company doing makeover programmes for the British Forces Broadcasting Service and is also an ambassador for trades website checkatrade.com.
Craig, 51, also runs a YouTube channel with his wife Laura called Mr & Mrs DIY TV.
Anna Nolan — second place
Anna, a former nun, tried her best to keep the other housemates calm and ensure a peaceful time in the house.
She won a legion of celebrity fans after finishing second on the show and was even taken to dinner by the late great George Michael.
Like Craig she remained on TV after the series finished, quickly bagging a job on BBC Three, and hosting shows such as The Afternoon Show and The Great Irish Bake-Off.
But she decided to trade that in and is now Head of Development at production company Coco Television and is also chair of Ireland's National LGBT Federation.
Darren Ramsay — third place
When he entered the house, Darren was an aspiring model and dancer.
He entertained the viewers with his love of the house's chickens, especially his favourite — Marjorie.
Darren came third and had various TV jobs for a while.
He now works for a research company and said: “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
Melanie was known in the house for being an outrageous flirt, and for also not getting nominated until the very end.
After leaving the house Melanie wrote a magazine column, presented E4 dating show Chained and worked as a marketing director.
She also had a three-year relationship with Alex Sibley from Big Brother 3, but it wasn't meant to be.
Mel now keeps out of the spotlight and focuses on eco-living and family, with her Instagram bio reading: "Family of 6 humans and 2 dogs, living in London, on a zero waste journey and addicted to vintage. Hoping to inspire and be inspired".
Tom McDermott
The hunky Irishman set pulses racing when he entered the house.
Tom got together with housemate Claire Strutton, the couple had a baby, but split soon afterwards.
Tom now lives in a village on the coast of Cornwall, where he runs his own property company.
He remarried 13 years ago, and former wife Claire, a florist, did the flowers for his wedding.
Claire Strutton
Claire was the late arrival to the show after Nick Bateman was kicked out, proving a hit with her other housemates, in particular Tom.
Following her split from housemate Tom, Claire remarried and has since founded a luxury beach resort in Marbella as well as night spots in Gibraltar and Chigwell, Essex.
Andy Davidson
Andy, famed for kissing Melanie in the house, is now working as the head of client strategy at insight and brand consultancy Flamingo, based in London, and is a father of three.
On Flamingo’s website, he says he first applied to work at Flamingo in 2001 but was turned down because of his “murky reality TV past”.
After that he worked at MTV for four years, before creating a $1.5million business conducting research for brands such as Weetabix, McVitie’s, Doritos, Idea and Starbucks.
He then headed back to Flamingo to head up their UK practise. He is the brother of Formula One racing driver and BBC Radio Five commentator, Anthony Davidson.
Caroline O’Shea
Former dancer and pop star wannabe Caroline, AKA Caggie, was unemployed when she entered the Big Brother house, and soon began to irritate housemates with her distinctive laugh.
She was nominated for the first eviction but clung on, eventually being kicked out after three weeks when an incredible 900,000 people voted for her.
Caroline was reportedly depressed after the series, but she was last seen making a brief appearance in Ultimate Big Brother in 2010 to participate in a task.
Nichola Holt
Shaven-haired artist Nichola was famed on Big Brother for stripping to make clay imprints of her naked body on the walls of the house.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous about her time in the house, Nichola, now 51, says: “I made TV history.
“I pioneered the way for thousands of contestants who came after me.
“I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into, the experience changed my life for better and for worse.”
After the show she tried her hand at pop stardom, releasing the dance track The Game, which reached number 72 in the charts.
She was previously married to personal trainer Yas Parr.
The couple are said to have married on the island of Huatulco in Mexico, where her wedding dress was composed of a white swimsuit and white silk sarong.
Nichola says that by far her biggest achievement since leaving the show is becoming a mum.
“My wonderful daughter Ava-Rose, 12, is the centre of my world — I love being a single mum,” she says.
“At the moment I am working on my art at home and prioritising homeschooling Ava.
“It’s something we started in lockdown and I love teaching her so we decided to carry on.”
Nichola is still sporting her shaved head and says she is recognised by fans 23 years after appearing on the show.
Sada Walkington
Sada was the first ever person to be evicted from the Big Brother house after going up against Caggy.
Trained actress Sada now lives in Argentina and works as a yoga instructor.
She has changed her name to Guru Amrit Dev and is married to Argentinian musician Sat Man Swaraj.
The couple have twins, Indigo and Padma, born in 2005.
Nick Bateman — ejected
And last but not least we come to Nick Bateman — AKA Nasty Nick.
A city broker when he entered the Big Brother house, Nick was chucked out of the house after passing notes, encouraging other housemates to nominate different people.
Talking about nominations is against the rules, and he was booted out.
The housemates confronted him – and show bosses threw him out for trying to influence nominations.
Nick, 56, wrote the book Nasty Bateman: How To Be A Right B*d and starred in panto as well as The Rocky Horror Show.
He also did a stint in Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, coming fifth.
Nick left the first series ignominiously through the back-door, famously saying: "You live by the sword, you die by the sword."
His misdeeds seem so innocent now compared to the housemates' antics that have followed over the past two decades.
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