Brian Dowling feels that some people are trying to ‘erase’ his history with Big Brother.
The 45-year-old presenter shot to fame when he won the second series of the Channel 4 reality show in 2001.
He later replaced Davina McCall as host when it moved to Channel 5 before passing the baton to Emma Willis but, as the ITV1 revival got underway on Sunday evening, he claimed his association with fronting the programme has been forgotten altogether.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘Tonight is the night and some may even say, the long-awaited return of Big Brother. I’ve posted so much stuff on here over the years regarding winning Big Brother in 2001 and also winning Ultimate Big Brother in 2010 both of these opportunities 100% changed my life.
‘I have the ABSOLUTE BEST MEMORIES EVER as a housemate. I then went on to host the show for six seasons, the first man to host Big Brother!
Forgotten? Brian Dowling, 45, feels that some people are trying to ‘erase’ his history with Big Brother (Brian pictured as host of Big Brother in 2011)
Fame game: The presenter shot to fame when he won the second series of the Channel 4 reality show in 2001 (pictured for series two of the show in 2001)
‘It’s so odd looking back at myself with no beard I think just over 8 Million people tuned in to watch the first live show. We had some INCREDIBLE HOUSEMATES.
‘From crowning Luke Anderson the winner to ICONS like Denise Welch, Julian Clary, Heidi and Spencer and of course Rylan.
‘I was only 33 years old when I was offered the job of hosting the main show. I, of course, said yes, even though it was the spin-off show I wanted and not the main show. But I would have been a fool to turn it down.
‘Speaking honestly, I always feel some people like to change history and try and erase the fact I hosted the show directly after Davina and then it went to Emma.’
The Real Housewives of Cheshire host went on to add that even as recently as last week, new hosts AJ Odudo and Will Best had been interviewed about the reboot and noted that his name did not come up at all during the segment.
He added: ‘Just recently, on Friday’s This Morning, for example. The new hosts of Big Brother AJ and Will were being interviewed and they were asked if they had spoken to “Emma and Davina” obviously as the ex hosts and then their pics were brought up on screen.
‘Yet again, there wasn’t even a mention of my time hosting, or even anyone on the production team that would have at least flagged that I was also an ex-presenter.
‘It would have been so lovely to have been included, or to even get a thumbs up from my peers would be INCREDIBLE. I find it so odd that this keeps happening.’
Champ: Brian won Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, with the late Nikki Grahame (left) finishing as runner-up while Chantelle Houghton (right) came third
Brian is now married to Arthur Gourounlian and went on to add that he goes into ‘much more detail’ about his time on the show and the ‘impact’ it had on him in a new book, but signed off by wishing the new hosts the ‘best of luck’ for the series.
He added: ‘Arthur and I have our book coming out on the 26th of October this month and I go into much more detail surrounding this time of my life as the host of Big Brother and the aftermath and the impact it had on my life.
‘I think AJ is a FABULOUS choice as a host. I don’t know Will, but he seems like a lot of fun. I would like to wish them both the best of luck as the new hosts.’
Big Brother returned to British television with a barman, make-up artist, butcher and youth worker among the contestants entering the famous house.
Happy family: Brian is now married to Arthur Gourounlian (right) with the couple sharing one child together
The influential social experiment, which sees housemates live together in a custom-built home for weeks without access to the outside world in a bid to win £100,000, has opened its doors for the first time in five years.
The reality series returned to ITV on Sunday, after it was axed by Channel 5 amid a ratings slump in 2018, with new hosts AJ and Will introducing a batch of 16 contestants to the brand-new house in front of a live studio audience.
Big Brother started in 2000 on Channel 4 before Channel 5 took over in 2011, airing in the UK for a total of 18 years.
Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
BIG BROTHER 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS!
JENKIN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Barman
FROM: Bridgend
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS DESCRIBE YOU? ‘Loud and messy and irritating probably.’
TOM
AGE: 21
PROFESSION: Butcher
FROM: Somerset
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘I think I might potentially offend some people. My mouth moves faster than my brain.’
TRISH
AGE: 33
PROFESSION: Mum
FROM: Luton
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? ‘I think my first priority is to sort out my housing situation. The housing crisis is just ridiculous and my housing situation has been unstable. It brings me a lot of mum guilt because I’ve got a young child. It’s my biggest incentive and motivation to win.’
JORDAN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Lawyer
FROM: Scunthorpe
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being cantankerous and acting as if I don’t want to be there even if I do in my heart. They might nominate me for being disengaged perhaps or not paying everyone an equal amount of attention. They may feel left out but I can’t help that.’
DYLAN
AGE: 39
PROFESSION: DJ
FROM: Coventry
TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: ‘I appeared on a TV show called The Last Leg about amputees – two years before I lost my leg!’
NOKY
AGE: 26
PROFESSION: Banker
FROM: Derby
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BECOME A BIG BROTHER HOUSEMATE? ‘I love challenges. I’ve had so many amazing times in my life, like going to Miss Universe as Miss Great Britain. I like to do something different and I think this is the next challenge I want to conquer. I want to show people what pageant girls are really like and disprove a lot of stereotypes around them. I also show what it’s like being a woman who’s worked in male- dominated fields. I want to show that women are capable of doing anything they want.’
PAUL
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Security Officer
FROM: Liverpool
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being the biggest wind up, eating all the food and being the loudest housemate.’
OLIVIA
AGE: 23
PROFESSION: Dancer
FROM: Glasgow
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘I think when people are in that hangry state, that’s when I’ll wind people up and grind their gears. I think they’ll nominate me for being full on, and for my brutal honesty and oversharing of opinions.’
FARIDA
AGE: 50
PROFESSION: Make-up artist
FROM: Wolverhampton
TELL US AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: ‘People are always surprised when I say I got married at 43. Or also that I’m an ex-holiday rep in Gran Canaria and Menorca.’
HALLIE
AGE: 18
PROFESSION: Youth Worker
FROM: London
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO GET NOMINATED FOR? ‘Being lazy and having an opinion. I’m quite opinionated, I like speaking my mind and not many people like that. I’m quite real.’
YINRUN
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Customer Support Agent
FROM: Harrogate
WHAT PART OF THE EXPERIENCE ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? ‘I’m most excited about being surrounded by so many people from different walks of life. I don’t think I will ever live in a house again with so many different kinds of people. I’m from China and I think it will help me be more immersed in British culture..’
CHANELLE
AGE: 29
PROFESSION: Dental Therapist
FROM: Llanelli
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LIKELY TO BE NOMINATED FOR? ‘Probably just for being annoying. In Wales, we have this saying ‘I’ll do it now in a minute’. So like, if I went to make food and I left a dish on the side, I have all good intentions of washing it but I’d be like, ‘I’ll do it now in a minute,’ and it might be three hours later before I do it. So probably for silly stuff like that.’
ZAK
AGE: 28
PROFESSION: Model
FROM: Manchester
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH THE PRIZE MONEY IF YOU WON? ‘Pay off my debts and help my family out. I’ve also been saving up to build a park in my village back at home in Thailand because where I grew up, there’s no parks or playgrounds.’
MATTY
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Doctor
FROM: Isle Of Man
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? ‘They would say I’m quite like a lucky person or someone who really wants to experience life to its fullest and do everything that it has to offer. Someone who is kind and fun and doesn’t take life too seriously.’
HENRY
AGE: 25
PROFESSION: Food Writer
FROM: Cotswolds
HOW WOULD YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DESCRIBE YOU? ‘I think they would say I’m particularly sociable and very chatty. I mean, I’ll be honest, my parents would definitely say I’m a bit of a snob but I take it as a compliment. I think it means you’ve got high standards and good taste. They’d say I was quite a peculiar child.’
KERRY
AGE: 40
PROFESSION: NHS Manager
FROM: Essex
WHAT MADE YOU APPLY TO BE A BIG BROTHER HOUSEMATE? ‘I love the programme. It is, for me, the ultimate reality TV show ever. I’ve got multiple sclerosis and so the reason why I never applied before is because I always saw those whacking great big stairs to get into the house. It just felt a little bit unachievable because for the first three years of my illness I was in a wheelchair. When I saw it was coming back and searching for real people from all walks of life, I thought, this is my year.’