Big Brother 2000 (UK)

Big Brother 2000, also referred to as Big Brother 1, was the first series of the British reality television show Big Brother. The show is based on an originally Dutch TV series of the same name created by producer John de Mol in 1997. The series premiered on 18 July 2000, and lasted for a total of 64 days. It concluded on 15 September 2000 when Craig Phillips was crowned the winner.

The series revolved around a group of strangers living in a custom built house with no contact with the outside world. Each week, the housemates are required to nominate two people for eviction. The two or more people with the most votes were nominated to leave the House. The viewers then decided which of the nominees should leave, with the selected person leaving during a live show. This process continued until only three housemates remained, at which time the public voted for which of them should win the £70,000 prize.

The series first launched in Netherlands, with editions in countries such as Germany proving to be hits with the public. Following the success of the show, it was confirmed that editions for the United States and the United Kingdom were in the works. Andre Anten, who was one of the directors for the original show, said the show was "like live soap... you don't know what is going to happen and that is amazing." In March 2000, it was confirmed that the show had been picked up by Channel 4, and would air in July. Casting for the series began that same month, with applications being available on the official website. Applicants who were shortlisted during the casting process underwent psychological analysis and received a nominal fee for the process. It was reported that the show received over 40,000 applications, and the housemates selected to compete in the series were kept secret until they entered the House. The series featured a live feed, which provided 24-hour coverage of the housemates. To comply with broadcasting standards, the live feed was under an estimated ten-minute delay. Commissioning editor Liz Warner said of the feeds "There's a delay on the web feed, so there's an over-ride [...] We will observe the family viewing policy before the watershed, and make sure we stick to ITC guidelines all the time."

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