History Suggests We Know Celebrity Big Brother 2024s Winner
Five-and-a-half years after it first aired, Celebrity Big Brother is set to return to British TV screens. The twenty-third series of the show – the first to be broadcast on ITV – begins on Monday, March 4. The show’s spin-off series, Celebrity Big Brother: Late & Live, will air on ITV2 and Celebrity Big Brother: Live Stream goes out daily on ITVX.
Given the show’s exposure and the success of its last series, bookmakers are understandably delighted Celebrity Big Brother is on its way back. In addition to 25,327 complaints logged with media watchdog Ofcom, Big Brother betting sites reported record betting turnover on the highly controversial 2018 show.
Celebrity Big Brother last aired in 2028 when Kirstie Alley (pictured) finished runner-up to Ryan Thomas in a controversial and memorable series. ?GettyImages
Some UK betting sites have been taking bets on potential celebrity contestants since the turn of the year. This week, a flurry of newspaper stories – suggesting ITV bosses have splashed out ￡2 million on fees for its celebrity line-up – has seen several probable contestants named.
Here, you can read about Celebrity Big Brother’s history, stats, facts, form pointers, and the prospects of the contestants who will probably walk into the Big Brother house on Monday.
Celebrity Big Brother – Food for Thought
Celebrity Big Brother 2024 will feature 17 episodes. Only the first two Celebrity Big Brothers, in 2001 and 2002, were shorter. They featured six contestants. Since 2006, at least ten individuals have taken part, and the average field size over the past ten series has been 15.
Early favourites traditionally struggle in this show. However, the last series was an exception as Coronation Street’s Ryan Thomas became the first soap opera actor (or actress) to win Celebrity Big Brother (CBB). Similarly, there has been only one American winner. That was Gary Busey in 2014.
Only eight of the 22 previous winners were female. Julian Clary (2012 winner), Rylan Clark (2013) and Shane Jenek, AKA Courtney Act (2018), were openly gay men. From a relatively small number of appearances, LGBTQ contestants have an outstanding record in the show. Amongst other former housemates of the same genre, Michael Barrymore finished second in 2006.
Who Are CBB’s Previous Winners?
| DATE | BROADCASTER | WINNER | KNOWN FOR/AS |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2001 | C4/BBC1 | Jack Dee | Comedian |
| November 2002 | C4 | Mark Owen | Pop Star |
| January 2005 | C4 | Mark ‘Bez’ Berry | Rock Star |
| January 2006 | C4 | Chantelle Houghton | Non-Celeb |
| January 2007 | C4 | Shilpa Shetty | Actress |
| January 2009 | C4 | Ulrika Jonsson | TV Presenter |
| January 2010 | C4 | Alex Reid | Cage Fighter |
| August 2011 | C5 | Paddy Doherty | Traveller/Reality TV |
| January 2012 | C5 | Denise Welch | Actress/Loose Women |
| August 2012 | C5 | Julian Clary | Comedian |
| January 2013 | C5 | Rylan Clark | X-Factor Reject |
| August 2013 | C5 | Charlotte Crosby | Geordie Shore |
| January 2014 | C5 | Jim Davidson | Comedian |
| August 2014 | C5 | Gary Busey | Actor |
| January 2015 | C5 | Katie Price | Model/Reality TV |
| August 2015 | C5 | James Hill | The Apprentice/Reality TV |
| January 2016 | C5 | Scotty T | Geordie Shore |
| July 2016 | C5 | Stephan Bear | Ex on The Beach |
| January 2017 | C5 | Coleen Noleen | Loose Women |
| August 2017 | C5 | Sarah Harding | Pop Star |
| January 2018 | C5 | Shane Jenek/Courtney Act | Drag Artist |
| August 2018 | C5 | Ryan Thomas | Coronation Street Actor |
2024s Rumoured Celeb Big Brother Contestants
The celebrities participating in the 2024 show will not be confirmed until the opening show on Monday. However, ITV tends to leak the identities of those taking part in shows of this type, and the bulk of names currently being touted by the UK’s press are likely to be on our screens next week.
The Sun has declared there will be a dozen contestants in the rebooted CBB. Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin; Ibiza Weekender star David Potts; Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches; social media star and cultural commentator Zeze Millz; American actress Marisha Wallace and Coronation Street actor Colson Smith (AKA Craig Tinker) are the first half-dozen.
Joining these are believed to be former This Morning presenter Fern Britton; X Factor judge and music mogul Louis Walsh; Real Housewives of Cheshire star Lauren Simon; Kate Middleton’s uncle, Gary Goldsmith; Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcülo?lu; multi-millionaire celebrity chef, author and businessman Levi Roots and Louis Walsh’s former X Factor sparring partner, Sharon Osbourne.
We’re putting AJ and Will to the test with our Ultimate Big Brother Quiz!
Let us know in the comments how many questions you got right ;) #CBBUK @bbuk pic.twitter.com/hBGmcr0ynD
— ITV (@ITV) February 28, 2024
Celebrity Big Brother 2024 Fact File
- First Episode: 9pm Monday March 4
- End Date: 9pm Friday March 22
- Channel: ITV1
- Length: First and final shows: 90 minutes. All others, one hour.
- Presenters: AJ Odudu and Will Best
- How/Where to Bet: All major UK online bookmakers and betting exchanges.
What Are the Best CBB Bets?
A strict interpretation of previous results narrows the 2024 Celebrity Big Brother field quickly and dramatically. Our TV specials experts declare Fern Britton, Levi Roots, Louis Walsh, and Sharon Osbourne will struggle due to their age. 2014 winner Gary Busey was the only previous winner eligible for a complimentary bus pass!
When trying to identify the most probable winner, Marisha Wallace is another to ignore. Americans have a dire record in all celebrity game shows of this kind. Likewise, several soap stars have tried and failed to win Celebrity Big Brother. Colson Smith is unlikely to make it back-to-back success for Coronation Street.
Of the remainder, 30-year-old David Potts ticks numerous boxes. Entertaining, likely to be in the middle of any drama, gay, and with impressive performances in recent shows of this type – The Big Celebrity Detox, Celebs Go Dating, Celebs on the Farm, Celebrity Karaoke Club and Celebrity Ghost Trip – we believe the UK’s novelty betting sites should have him situated at the top of their betting lists.
