Big Brother will be back on our screens this summer for a series of 'best of' shows so we thought we'd have a look back down memory lane.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since Davina McCall uttered the immortal words “you’re live on Channel 4 please do not swear...” for the first time as the first bunch of BB housemates enthralled the nation - who remembers Nasty Nick?
Since then countless winners have emerged victorious, there’s been changes in presenter and a change of channel and now viewers are set to get engrossed in Big Brother all over again when Big Brother : Best Shows Ever Show comes to E4.
The North East has done well in both the civilian and Celebrity Big Brother with four winners to date but for now it’s the non-celebrity North East contestants we’re focusing on and asking where are they now?
Narinder Kaur
Famous for striking up a friendship with series 2 winner Brian Dowling, Narinder was one of those housemates that divided the opinion of the nation.
Many loved her but unfortunately for her, many others didn’t and she made her exit after losing an eviction vote to Paul Clark.
Since Big Brother, Narinder, now 47,has released a book about her time on the show, fronted Say No To Fear – a campaign to raise awareness of forced marriage, been bridesmaid at Brian’s wedding and runs her own business doing social media for small businesses.
She lives in Leicester with her husband and two teenage children.
Jonny Regan
Trimdon fireman Jonny came within a whisker of winning Big Brother 3 in 2002, when he finished second to winner Kate Lawler, beating Alex Sibley and the late Jade Goody to a place in the final two.
Since then Jonny has been a radio host on TFM, toured with musical Boogie Nights and sang on stage with Atomic Kitten at a gig at Asda Metrocentre car park and now runs his own successful photography business The Picture Book Studio.
And anyone who remembers Joanne, the girlfriend Jonny spoke about loads whilst in the house, the good news is that they’re very much still together and are happily married.
And in our poll in 2016 Jonny was voted your favourite North East housemate ever.
Michelle Bass
She was famous for getting very close to fellow contestant Stuart under a table and screaming “no naked jacuzzi-ness!” whilst watching the house action from a secret bedsit but what Dinnington lass Michelle will be remembered most for in Big Brother series 5 is her unique take on Pie Jesu.
The former Gosforth High student dabbled with singing outside of the house, recording dance track Must Be The Music in 2006 and appeared on Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, being eliminated from the house at the semi final stage.
That same year Michelle married hypnotist Steve McKeown and in July 2013 they welcomed a baby girl.
Anthony Hutton
To date the Consett lad is still the only North East winner of ‘normal’ Big Brother.
Anthony charmed the nation and fellow housemate Makosi (swimming pool liaison ring any bells?!) back in 2005, beating Eugene in the final.
The County Durham lad went onto release his own dance workout DVD and appeared in the 2005 and 2006 series of Sky One’s The Match, where he was voted man of the match after both matches at St James’ Park.
Popular with the ladies, Anthony once went out with a certain ex Pop Idol contestant who like him appeared on Big Brother - more on her later!
Anthony now has his own barbers - Mr Hutton’s Barbers & Bar in Darlington and is happily married to wife Sophie.
Liam McGough
He went into Big Brother 8 in 2007 as a tree surgeon from Lanchester and came out the house £100,000 richer without even winning the show after three of his housemates picked him to win the cash windfall.
Liam eventually finished third behind twins Samanda and winner Brian Belo.
Very prolific on Twitter, thanks to his live tweeting of the last few series of Big Brother, Liam was also often a panellist on spin off show Bit on the Side.
As well as Bit on the Side, Liam has appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats, Cirque de Celebrite and The Weakest Link.
Since leaving the BB house, Liam, now 35, has also been busy designing roof gardens in Manhattan NYC for 4 Seasons hotels and owns a Arboricultural consultancy.
Warning of the pitfalls of reality TV fame, he said: "I feel sorry for the people who go on shows like Love Island.
"Some of the things that happen on these shows seem to me like they would be very hurtful and only one in 25 will go on to have a successful TV career.
"The money is just a facilitator - you need to feel strong enough to go on the adventure. You can still be lonely in a big house.
Jennifer Clark
Mum of one Jennifer from Chester-le-Street became a real talking point in 2008 after getting into a relationship with house hunk Dale Underwood.
The two lasted for a month outside of the house, getting the obligatory photo shoot in the bag, before splitting thanks to Dale's reported interest in Celebrity Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton.
Jennifer later posed for the now defunct Nuts magazine.
Charlie Drummond
The former Job Centre adviser and Barclays Bank employee appeared on the show in 2009.
His sister told The Chronicle that Charlie tried three times to get on the show and his dad, also called Charlie, said he was massively proud of the ex-model who was favourite to win his series at one point.
Romance blossomed on screen between Heaton lad Charlie and housemate Rodrigo Lopes (now Rebecca Shelton) but quickly fizzled out on the outside.
He hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when he was jailed in 2014 after being found guilty of an unprovoked assault on a man in Newcastle city centre but is now out of prison and thought to be living in London.
Jay McKray
The first Geordie to appear on Big Brother after its move to Channel 5 in 2011, Jay found love in the house with Manchester barmaid Louise Cliffe and after a whirlwind romance married her a year later at Durham Registry Office.
However, the honeymoon period came to an abrupt end for Jay and Louise when they split in 2013, less than 12 months after their big day.
Speaking to The Chronicle at the time, Jay said: “Things happen for a reason. We are still friends but we are doing our own thing.
“We speak but we are not living together anymore.
“We get on, it’s just that sometimes things don’t work out.”
Jay, who very nearly appeared on the first series of Geordie Shore, is now and MC and recording artist and in 2015 released an EP called Criminal featuring songs like I’m Your Man, Set in Stone and Party All Night (I Don’t Give a F***).
A look at his SoundCloud reveals that Jay has also collaborated with DJ Saffire on a number of tracks in the past year.
Alex Rose Lee
Jay wasn’t the only North East contestant in Big Brother 12, South Shields lass Alex also entered the house and did rather well, finishing in third place, automatically earning herself a £30,000 share of the prize money.
Prior to appearing on Big Brother, Alex had worked in McDonald’s and as an air stewardess and also appeared on popular BBC Three show Snog, Marry, Avoid.
In 2016, Alex shared her dramatic transformation with us, which was the result of extensive surgery and came out as gay in 2018.
Zoe Birkett
Probably the most familiar name on the list, the fourth placed contestant from the first series of Pop Idol, was a surprise arrival in Big Brother in 2014.
Singer and actress Zoe, who starred in the likes of Thriller Live and Priscilla: Queen of the Desert prior to her stint on the show, once went out with Anthony Hutton.
Initially Zoe was loved by the public, topping the public vote when she was put up for eviction for the first time, but she didn’t last too long in the house and received a mixed response from the notoriously vocal Big Brother eviction crowd when she got the boot.
Since then Zoe’s career has flourished, with her winning rave reviews for her star turn as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard.
She also launched The Zoe Birkett Academy to find stars of the future and is now a mum. herself. Zoe has returned to the North East to perform on The Bodyguard and Rock of Ages tours and in pantomime at the Darlington Hippodrome.
And we couldn’t do a North East celebration of all things Big Brother without mentioning narrator Marcus Bentley who’s musings make the show that it is.
Altogether now “day three in the Big Brother house....”
