Celebrity Big Brother (British TV series) series 1
Celebrity Big Brother 1, also known as Celebrity Big Brother 2001, was the first series of the British celebrity version of Big Brother. It was inspired by the Dutch show created by John de Mol Jr. Six celebrities entered the Big Brother house for Comic Relief, and the series ran from 9 March to 16 March 2001—eight days in total. Davina McCall hosted the live premiere and eviction episodes.
The house was in Bow, London, near 3 Mills Studios. It had a simple setup: a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms (one for men and one for women), a shower room and toilet, a garden with a vegetable patch and a chicken coop, and a Diary Room where housemates spoke privately to Big Brother. There was no swimming pool.
Each week, housemates nominated two people for eviction. The most-nominated faced a public vote, and the person with the most votes left the house. This continued until three housemates remained, when the public voted for the winner. All money went to charity.
The winner was Jack Dee, with Claire Sweeney as runner-up. The finale was broadcast live on Red Nose Day, 16 March 2001. The series’ success helped establish Celebrity Big Brother as an annual show.
In 2023, a 22nd anniversary special called When Comic Relief Did Big Brother aired on BBC Two as part of Comic Relief, featuring interviews with five of the six housemates.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:56 (CET).