Bobby Norris with Pete Bennett, Kate Lawler and Brian Dowling
Reality TV legend Pete Bennett reflects on his experience on the show and speaks about overcoming Tourette’s syndrome
As a massive fan of Big Brother, I absolutely loved the year when Pete Bennett won in 2006. Series seven will go down in history as one of the greats, with the likes of Nikki Grahame, Imogen Thomas and Aisleyne Horgan-wallace also finding fame on the show.
Pete, now 38, won over the nation’s hearts with his loveable nature and raised vital awareness for Tourette’s syndrome, which causes sufferers to make involuntary sounds and words.
Pete would often splutter “wankers” on air, but when I catch up with him, his tics have subsided and he is a lot calmer.
“When I was little, I was the worst case ever reported in Europe,” he tells me. “The doctors always said it gets less frequent with age and when
I got to 33, I remember it just slowing down a bit.”
We discuss his move into the world of acting, as well as reminiscing about the good old days of Big Brother – including stripping off in the pool and his short-lived romance with Nikki.
Pete reveals all about how he still helps other Tourette’s sufferers he’s kept in touch with from his reality days – and which BBC show he’s desperate to appear on…
Hi Pete! You’re a Big Brother icon! Looking back, how did it feel when you were told you were going into the house?
It was a massive sense of relief because I knew all my troubles would be over. I knew I was going to win, so I would be able to pay my mum’s mortgage. I knew I would be able to walk down the street and not get started on any more because I would have raised awareness for Tourette’s. I needed to be the hero for all the kids with Tourette’s.
You definitely achieved that goal. Did you get lots of supportive messages?
I still get them today. I get messages saying, “Thanks so much for going on telly. You saved my life.” It’s crazy. I got two in the last day just saying thank you for inspiring people to not give a f**k about having Tourette’s. That’s what I wanted to achieve. I’ve got to get on TV again now because awareness doesn’t last forever.
Is there any particular show you’d like to do?
Strictly Come Dancing. I thought about I’m A Celeb, but I don’t think they put reality stars on and I don’t like hurting animals for entertainment. I’m a pretty good dancer and my Tourette’s is really calm nowadays
– I don’t shout, “wankers” all the time.
That’s good. So looking back, how did you cope in the Big Brother house?
I don’t know.
There was a time where I did go quiet for a bit and women were fighting over me. Halfway through, you actually get compulsory therapy and you talk through everything that f**ks your head up. It sorts your brain out. I didn’t realise I was so f**ked up by so much bullshit. When I was in the diary room I wanted to be the funniest man on TV ever and
I knew I was making people laugh their heads off and that gave me such a buzz.
That was part of your charm!
And my big willy [laughs].
So Pete’s packing, is he?
Didn’t you see the bit where I got my bits out in the pool? I got it out and it was like the f**king Loch Ness Monster, mate.
Ha! You had a romance with Nikki in the house. Did having a relationship with another housemate enhance your experience?
Well, that happened right at the end of the series. It was a good ending to the show and was nice. In between those times, me and Nikki were very close and cuddled and she was a great friend.
How did you find being part of the most spoken-about couple on reality TV?
It didn’t really last that long afterwards because Nikki without Big Brother telling her off is another ball game. It worked in the house, but if there isn’t a big booming voice coming over the Tannoy, there’s no stopping her. The dynamics completely changed.
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your series?
Yes, Glyn Wise, Richard
Newman and Lea Walker. I haven’t spoken to Nikki in a very long time. The one I speak to most is Richard.
Do you ever meet up?
No, but it would be great to get all the Big Brother cast on one Zoom and record it. When I make it big as an actor, I’m going to invite everyone round for a party.
How did you feel when you heard the news Davina Mccall was returning to host specials to mark the 20th anniversary?
I’m happy Davina’s doing it because she’s old-school, and that’s what I’m all about. There’s old-school Big Brother and then it went a bit pear-shaped for me in the end. It was a bit fake. Back in the day, there were circus freaks and Davina was one of them.
Do you think it’s good the show is off air now?
I’m fine with it being finished. It’s nice because it means I can move on – because in a way it was holding me back.
Will you watch the specials as a goodbye to Big Brother?
I’ll check out what episodes they’re putting on.
You’re an actor now. Tell us about your sitcom…
It’s called Green Fingers. It’s about two gardeners, Bob and Des. Bob’s the boss and
I’m Des, his sidekick. It’s a situational comedy about the awkward things that can happen when you’re gardening. The first pilot is on Amazon Prime already and I’ve edited most of episode two and all of episode three. Maybe we can get you in it, Bob!
Well, I’ve always been interested in drama! Finally, if they were going to do one last series of Big Brother and were putting the winner of every series in the house, would you be up for it?
Of course I’d do that. I’ve got to raise awareness for Tourette’s again.
But I’ll have to see what they’re paying us first.
It would have to be a life-changing amount of money!
As Big Brother ’s first ever female winner, Kate Lawler is a reality TV legend and I couldn’t wait to hear about her time on one of the show’s most famous series back in 2002.
The 40-year-old – whose housemates included the late Jade Goody and Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts – tells me she has amazing memories of her nine weeks living it up in
Elstree Studios at just 22.
“What I took away from my experience is joy and memories of a really good summer making some really good friends and then, underneath, just a whirlwind of emotions. It was such an incredibly emotional experience,” she says.
Eighteen years later, Kate is still friendly with some of her housemates, including Alison Hammond.
“I look at Alison and I just love seeing her on This Morning and all the interviews she does and all the TV shows she’s appeared on,” she tells me. “I think it’s a real testament to the quality of housemates from our year. But I would say that!”
Now a DJ on Virgin Radio, Kate is engaged to her partner Martin and the pair live in north London with their pooches
Baxter and Shirley.
Here, Kate talks about life in the house, clashing with Jade and how it felt when Davina called her name, bagging her £70,000 and a place in the reality
TV history books…
Hi Kate! Can you believe Big Brother is turning 20 this year?
Crikey, it makes me feel old. When I went in, I thought I was such a grown-up. And now I look back and think of just how young I was. I was 22 and I felt like such an adult. It’s mad. I still can’t believe 18 years has gone by since I went in. It makes me realise how quickly life goes.
Were you a fan of the show before you entered?
I didn’t watch series one, but I knew about Nasty Nick because he was all over the papers and I knew Craig had won. Season two just blew up – it was all over the magazines and papers because there was no internet or social media. I watched a few episodes, but I wouldn’t say I was a fan. I wasn’t meant to audition – it was my twin sister who wanted to do it. She was obsessed with BB, she just couldn’t be bothered to fill out the application form so I ended up doing it myself!
That’s fate for ya! When you got in there, did you recognise anyone from your auditions?
Yeah, Jade and I were in the same audition. That was a mad day. There were 100 or so people and it felt like an audition for a theatre show. Everyone was singing and dancing to showcase how talented they were. I was like, “What am I doing here?” They got us to play games and Jade was so loud. Everybody had to write the name of the person they would evict if we were all in the house and Jade was the name on most pieces of paper. I think that’s why they put her in because they were like, “Oh good, she’ll cause controversy.”
Bless Jade! How did she react when they all picked her?
I think she was hurt. She laughed and was like, “That’s OK. You either love me or you hate me.” She was so self-aware. She knew exactly how she came across. You have to remember she was so young as well. She was just this girl from Bermondsey who had a really infectious laugh, but she was a bit too in your face for some.
Do you remember how you felt on the live launch night?
I was mostly excited. I wasn’t nervous because I really wanted to do the show. By then, I’d watched the first and second series back fully and I loved it. I was like, “This is gonna be a doss. I’m going into a house with a load of strangers to get drunk, have fun and sunbathe.” I was so desperate to get in that house and find out who else I was going to be sharing with. The only time I was nervous was when my car pulled up and I could hear Davina introducing me. It felt like shit just got real.
I bet! So how did you find your experience overall, babe?
An emotional rollercoaster, but so much fun as well. I read an interview with Craig Phillips where he said he was bored a lot of the time, but I don’t remember being bored at all. There was so much going on – loads of tasks, loads of alcohol. They never limited our alcohol so we’d be drunk every night. It was what I imagined university would be like because I never went.
You’ve mentioned before about making friends and enemies – who were they?
Me, Alison and Jonny immediately became best friends. Our enemies were Sandy and Alex