Brian Belo wins Big Brother!

Brian Belo wins Big Brother!
Brian Belo wins Big Brother! (Image credit: Doug Peters/PA Photos)

*Brian Belo won Big Brother 8* Big Brother 8 opened its doors on Wednesday, May 30, 2007, when host Davina McCall sent a batch of eager new housemates into the Big Brother house in Elstree, where they stayed for up to three months of mischief, mayhem, tears, tantrums and, if the past seven series are anything to go by, all-out anarchy! It looked like we may have seen the last of the hit reality show in the wake of the Shilpa Shetty race row that tarnished Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. But according to C4, it's back and it's bigger than ever - and with more than a few changes... For starters, there's been lots of speculation over the show's new multi-coloured eye logo. Is the retro design a clue that some of the housemates will be living in a Life On Mars-like time warp? Speaking of housemates, insiders say that a real 'mixed bag' has been chosen this year and is thought to include a political activist, a retired headhunter and a cleaner. And could this year see the first Big Brother mole? The house itself has also been given a fresh new look - and nothing is quite what it seems... Housemates hoping for some privacy can think again as the bathtub is slap-bang in the middle of the living room. The fridge is at the bottom of a now much smaller garden - and tea and toast fanciers have been warned, the kettle and toaster are locked away in a see-through cabinet, which will only be opened on Big Brother's say so. So what else does Big Brother have in store? Will there be a secret hideaway? Or the now trademark House Next Door? As usual, all will be revealed by Big Brother in due course... But some things never change. Davina's back to host the live launch shows and the weekly evictions. And despite going off to host The X Factor, Dermot O'Leary will still be giving us all the essential Big Brother 8 gossip every Sunday lunchtime in Big Brother's Little Brother. Big Brother's very own 'big mouth' Russell Brand won't be back for this series � but loyal Big Brother fans needn't fret as the spin-off show will be returning in a new slot on Friday night, featuring a whole host of guest presenters, starring with the saviour of Radio 1 Chris Moyles. Psychology show Big Brother's Big Brain has been replaced by Big Brother On The Couch, presented by Davina on Sunday nights. And, of course, there's no excuse to miss a minute of the action from inside the house thanks to whatsontv.co.uk. With an up-to-the-minute blog, latest pictures and news and gossip as it happens, whatsontv.co.uk really is the most comprehensive place for BB fans to get their daily fill.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.