Big Brother made a surprise return to screens on Sunday as one of the show’s most iconic episodes was re-aired to celebrate its 20th Anniversary.
Die-hard fans couldn’t contain their excitement as they re-lived the infamous moment Nick Bateman’s cheating was exposed, causing him to removed from the house.
While many fans lauded the show’s ‘return’ on social media, it seemed that the show wasn’t exactly as it had been, as host Rylan Clark-Neal warned viewers that some episodes were edited to remove content that would be deemed offensive in 2020.
It’s back! Big Brother made a surprise return to screens on Sunday as one of the show’s most iconic episodes was re-aired to celebrate its 20th Anniversary
In the first episode of E4’s look-back at some of Big Brother’s best ever shows, fans got to reminisce on that first series, which saw 10 people move into a simple house in Bow, East London.
Ahead of the episode, Rylan said that some of the shows they would be re-watching had been edited to omit moments that may now be deemed offensive.
After completing an assault course, the housemates began to doubt Nick, especially after he struggled to complete the task despite claiming he was in the army.
Throwback: Die-hard fans couldn’t contain their excitement as they re-lived the infamous moment Nick Bateman’s cheating was exposed, causing him to removed from the house
Changes: However seemed that the show wasn’t exactly as it had been, as host Rylan Clark-Neal warned viewers that some episodes were edited to remove offensive content
Tom McDermott expressed his concerns to Darren and Craig Phillips, noting that Nick seemed to be passing around written notes with housemates names to try and influence their nominations.
After searching Nick’s luggage, they discovered that he had been cheating, as one of Big Brother primary rules states that housemates are banned from discussing or attempting to influence nominations.
Craig and the other housemates confronted Nick, and he eventually confessed to passing around the messages, leaving Big Brother with no choice but to eject him from the house.
Tense: In Big Brother’s first series in 2000, viewers were gripped when housemates confronted Nick about his attempts to influence nominations with written notes
Amazing: Craig asked Nick about his ‘dirty plan,’ which some fans admitted is tame when compared to some of reality TV’s most recent scandals
It wasn’t me! While Nick attempted to deny his secret plot, he eventually came clean, and was removed from the house by show bosses
Many die-hard fans couldn’t believe that such a lavish show stemmed from such simple roots, and were stunned at the dramatic scenes that played out when Nick’s scheme was exposed.
One wrote: ‘Watching BB1 on E4 – so nostalgic and so pure – I loved this series – used to really fancy Thomas,’ while another gushed: ‘#BBUK series 1 was so pure they had no idea what would happen.’
Another added: ‘This is so pure,’ while another fan posted: ‘OMG even the intro music makes me emotional.’
One fan jokingly said: ‘The house on #BBUK gives me The Sims vibes before installing any expansion packs.’
Reacting to that infamous moment when Craig confronted Nick, one fan posted: ‘This is still exciting to watch even though I know what happens.’
Another posted: ‘Nick gives off the impression of being soooo sly, this would’ve definitely went viral if Twitter was around in 2000.’
The look-back at Big Brother’s first series was presented by the show’s original host Davina McCall, and Rylan Clark-Neal, who presented spin-off Bit On The Side when the series moved to Channel 5.
Reflecting on her time in the show, Davina said: ‘I have had the biggest love affair of my life, it saw me through the biggest stages of my life… and three pregnancies.
‘I remember thinking it was really fresh and exciting and a bit scary after the first episode I was so enthralled watching nothing.’
During the show, Big Brother’s Little Brother host Dermot O’Leary, and the show’s Channel 5 host Emma Willis also discussed their experiences being part of the infamous BB bubble.
Emma said: ‘I always find the best way to describe it is that it’s like a member of your family it’s in your blood.
‘Whether you are loving it hating it, you cant ever truly remove yourself from it because it’s just in you, it runs through your veins.’
Dermot – who left the series after presenting spin-off Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in 2008 – added: ‘It was so incredible how it captured the nation’s imagination. I can’t tell you how much I look back at the years I did BBLB just the most elemental years of my career.’
In the coming days fans will get the chance to relive some of Big Brother’s most iconic episodes, as the show celebrates its 20th Anniversary next month.
Big Brother: Best Shows Ever continues tomorrow at 9pm on E4.