It’s back! Our all-time favourite Big Brother stars

May 11, 2015

Fifteen years on, Big Brother is still going strong, and the sixteenth series kicks off tomorrow.

With another cast of bizarre housemates lined up (including a Dublin model who admits she's in favour of open relationships and lists being Amanda Byram's cousin as a claim to fame), we reckon it's time we took a look back at some of BB's best stars.

Believe us, there are a LOT to choose from.

1. Brian Dowling
Keeping things Irish to start off, who can forget the adorable Brian Dowling from BB2? Sassy and sweet Brian was the first gay winner of a Big Brother show anywhere in the world, having come out just two weeks before entering the house. He eventually went on to replace Davina McCall as the Big Brother presenter in 2012 and 2013.

2. Nikki Grahame
We knew Nikki was going to be good value from the moment she had her first diary room tantrum in BB7. From ripping into other housemates ("WHO IS SHE?") to defending her side of the room ("This is NIKKI's bed. This is Nikki's bed), she was hands down one of the most entertaining cast members of all time. All hail Queen Nikki.

3. Sam and Amanda Marchant
Twins Samanda had the name-merging thing down long before Jedward hit our screens, even agreeing to be counted as a single contestant for voting purposes. "Amanda loves pink, I'm girly doncha think? I'm Sam, I'm sweet, the guys think I'm a treat." Enough said.

4. Jade Goody
Jade, who sadly passed away in 2009 from cervical cancer, had serious longevity as a BB contestant. She first appeared on the show in 2002 (with a VERY impressive lack of general knowledge) before joining the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2007 with her boyfriend and mum. After triggering an international race scandal with Indian housemate Shilpa Shetty, Jade then joined the Indian Big Brother in 2008 to redeem herself.

5. Nadia Almada
Feisty Portuguese cigarette-lover Nadia became the first transsexual woman ever to win BB, having only announced at the end of the show that she was transsexual. In 2010, Nadia returned for Ultimate Big Brother – possibly not the best decision, as she clashed constantly with other contestants. Still, we'll always love Nadia.

6. Chantelle Houghton
She may be (relatively) well-known these days, but Chantelle first hit our screens as the only non-celebrity in the Celebrity Big Brother house, pretending to other housemates that she was a Z-list popstar from a band called Kandy Floss.