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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Forgotten Big Brother star makes surprise comeback to screens after 12 years in unexpected show – did you recognise her?
A FORGOTTEN Big Brother star made a shock comeback to screens after 12 years. The show alum made history during her Big Brother stint over a decade ago. Advertisement 4 Viewers saw Jackie Travers on Big Brother back in 2013 Credit: Endemol 4 She appeared on the show alongside daughter Charlie Credit: Getty 4 Jackie is appearing in Channel 5's Rich Holiday Poor Holiday Credit: Channel 5 Jackie Travers entered the house in 2013 - when the show was still airing on Channel 5. Over a decade on, she has returned to screens in Channel 5's Rich Holiday Poor Holiday. The hit show's premise sees two polar opposite families jet off on trips abroad. But the twist is millionaires are forced to slum it on a budget break, while families on a low income enjoy a luxurious vacation. Advertisement As for Jackie, she and daughter Charlie were the first mother-daughter duo to compete in Big Brother. Having made her entrance on Day 2, Jackie was ultimately evicted on Day 37. In a memorable moment, she broke her wrist while doing star jumps and had to leave temporarily to go to A&E. While in hospital Jackie said she felt compelled to stick to the show's strict rules about having no contact with the outside world. Advertisement She recounted: 'I wasn't allowed to speak to anybody and I didn't. "I knew if I tried to I probably wouldn't be allowed back on the show. Will Best reveals huge Big Brother shake-up ahead of 25th anniversary as he opens up new series twists 'I didn't want to jeopardise anything so I didn't even dare to look at anybody or anything. 'I don't think I opened my mouth except for when the care team asked how my wrist was. It was like I had blinkers on.' Advertisement Charlie, however, remained until Day 68, where she placed fifth overall. Since her Big Brother stint, dance teacher Jackie has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars. Big Brother's Return Big Brother has returned to our screens. AJ Odudu and Will Best are hosting the much-loved show. The return of Big Brother marks a revival of one of the most iconic reality TV shows. The show will bring back its classic challenges and format, promising to entertain a new generation of viewers. AJ Odudu is set to bring her dynamic presenting style to the show, alongside co-host Will Best, ensuring a fresh and engaging viewing experience. AJ and Will are set to breathe new life into Big Brother, combining nostalgia with contemporary twists to captivate audiences once again. While working in the costume department for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Jackie told us she mingled with celebrities including Alan Titchmarsh, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise. She revealed to us in 2023: "When Tom arrived I was bowled over. It was the pinnacle of my career so far. Advertisement "Everyone was asking him for a selfie and I thought, 'I'm not going to miss out on this'. "I went to put my arm around him, but his bodyguard intervened and went 'No, no, no!' Despite that he was fantastic.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Forgotten Big Brother star makes surprise comeback to screens after 12 years in unexpected show – did you recognise her?
This Big Brother alum later rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars back on the box Forgotten Big Brother star makes surprise comeback to screens after 12 years in unexpected show – did you recognise her? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FORGOTTEN Big Brother star made a shock comeback to screens after 12 years. The show alum made history during her Big Brother stint over a decade ago. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Viewers saw Jackie Travers on Big Brother back in 2013 Credit: Endemol 4 She appeared on the show alongside daughter Charlie Credit: Getty 4 Jackie is appearing in Channel 5's Rich Holiday Poor Holiday Credit: Channel 5 Jackie Travers entered the house in 2013 - when the show was still airing on Channel 5. Over a decade on, she has returned to screens in Channel 5's Rich Holiday Poor Holiday. The hit show's premise sees two polar opposite families jet off on trips abroad. But the twist is millionaires are forced to slum it on a budget break, while families on a low income enjoy a luxurious vacation. As for Jackie, she and daughter Charlie were the first mother-daughter duo to compete in Big Brother. Having made her entrance on Day 2, Jackie was ultimately evicted on Day 37. In a memorable moment, she broke her wrist while doing star jumps and had to leave temporarily to go to A&E. While in hospital Jackie said she felt compelled to stick to the show's strict rules about having no contact with the outside world. She recounted: 'I wasn't allowed to speak to anybody and I didn't. "I knew if I tried to I probably wouldn't be allowed back on the show. Will Best reveals huge Big Brother shake-up ahead of 25th anniversary as he opens up new series twists 'I didn't want to jeopardise anything so I didn't even dare to look at anybody or anything. 'I don't think I opened my mouth except for when the care team asked how my wrist was. It was like I had blinkers on.' Charlie, however, remained until Day 68, where she placed fifth overall. Since her Big Brother stint, dance teacher Jackie has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars. Big Brother's Return Big Brother has returned to our screens. AJ Odudu and Will Best are hosting the much-loved show. The return of Big Brother marks a revival of one of the most iconic reality TV shows. The show will bring back its classic challenges and format, promising to entertain a new generation of viewers. AJ Odudu is set to bring her dynamic presenting style to the show, alongside co-host Will Best, ensuring a fresh and engaging viewing experience. AJ and Will are set to breathe new life into Big Brother, combining nostalgia with contemporary twists to captivate audiences once again. While working in the costume department for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Jackie told us she mingled with celebrities including Alan Titchmarsh, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise. She revealed to us in 2023: "When Tom arrived I was bowled over. It was the pinnacle of my career so far. "Everyone was asking him for a selfie and I thought, 'I'm not going to miss out on this'. "I went to put my arm around him, but his bodyguard intervened and went 'No, no, no!' Despite that he was fantastic.
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside John Torode's MasterChef exit as BBC star shares 'truth' behind axe
BBC star and former Endemol creative director Richard Osman has spoken out about John Torode's MasterChef exit, sharing the 'real reason' he was let go from the programme BBC star Richard Osman has broken his silence on John Torode's MasterChef exit, claiming that he was given the option to stay on the show by the BBC under one condition. Earlier this week, John Torode was fired from MasterChef after an allegation of him using "an extremely offensive racist term" was upheld. The TV presenter said in a statement that he had "no recollection" of it happening and that he only found out that his contract had been terminated after the BBC and production company Banijay put out the news. Now, Richard Osman - who was a creative director at Banijay's Endemol Shine - has shared his insight into the situation, claiming that the show had asked the TV presenter to do a training course and take a year off from the show after the allegation was upheld. Speaking on his podcast, The Rest is Entertainment, Richard explained: "They took John Torode aside, this was my understanding of the whole situation, and said: 'We believe that this happened. We believe that you used this language.' He denied it. "They said to him - whether this was the BBC or Banijay - they said to him, 'We will accept if you want to take a year off, you have to do a mandatory training course to understand and accept that this is not something we particularly want in our workplace.' "That was denied. He said, 'Of course I'm not going to do that. I didn't do this in the first place anyway so why would I ever do this?'" He added that the show then decided to let John go. "John Torode said, 'The first I knew about it was I read it in the papers.' And my understanding is that's not true - the first thing he knew about it was when he was told it," Richard added. Richard went onto claim that while John had claimed that the BBC asked him to resign and blame his mental health, the "only conversation" had was asking him to do a training course. Richard explained: "The only conversation was, 'We believe this happened. We will give you a second chance, a lifeline, which is you take a year, you take a series off, you go and do something, talk to people who maybe persuade you that this is not the way to act in a certain workplace.' And he said that he was not prepared to do that." Richard later alleged that there were further claims that weren't upheld. "And by the way, there's all sorts of things that weren't upheld because they couldn't say for certain they believed it happened. But, you know, on this particular occasion, it's not woke gone mad," Richard said. "You know, he used, I think, probably the worst racial slur there is. And they found that to be substantively true. They found evidence that they were happy with — that that was true. "He is saying, 'I definitely didn't do it. I certainly can't remember it,' but that one was upheld." The Mirror has reached out to John Torode's representation for comment. Banijay declined to comment. John Torode is now planning to take legal action against the BBC over his sacking, a source told The Mirror yesterday. 'He wants to pursue them for unfair dismissal. He's telling people there is no proof of his supposed comment. It was not in a work capacity, it was just hearsay. John is determined to clear his name," they said.
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Original Big Brother champion Craig Phillips: ‘My advice for anyone going on the show? Don't'
'Over the years, people would stop me in the street and say, 'I've applied for Big Brother; what advice would you give me?'. And I would look at them and go, 'Don't do it!'' Twenty-five years ago, 28-year-old Liverpudlian builder Craig Phillips was the most famous man in Britain, becoming an overnight sensation after winning the first series of Big Brother. It changed his life, and he has no regrets, but, he says, 'I wouldn't do it again.' No one could have foreseen how that show would shape the future of reality television, with every wannabe in the land hoping for an instant springboard into show business. In those more innocent times, Phillips, now 53, was running a successful building company in Shropshire and blissfully unaware of the eventual benefits – and pitfalls – being on the show would offer. 'I was content with the direction I was going in,' he says down the line from his home in Majorca, where he lives with his wife Laura and children Nelly, six, and Lennon, four. 'At the time, I was helping raise money for little Joanne Harris, a Down's syndrome girl who needed £250k to take her to America for a heart-lung transplant. I'd seen a documentary about a programme in Holland called Big Brother and they were contemplating doing it in England.' Phillips rightly deduced it could be an effective way of raising both money and publicity for Harris's cause, and wrote to the production company, Endemol, asking them to bear him in mind should they ever bring the series to the UK. Then he promptly forgot all about it. Months later, they got in touch, and, after a tortuous interview process, he found himself down to the last 50 out of 45,000 who had applied. But 12 days before the show was due to start, he still wasn't sure if he was in or out. With his business on his mind, he issued the producers with an ultimatum – let him know within 24 hours or he would pull out. An hour later, he got the call. 'There was relief and excitement and panic,' he recalls. 'I don't think I slept that night. I was thinking, 'Am I doing the right thing?'. I'm neglecting my business. I'd signed quite a strict confidentiality agreement and couldn't tell anybody. So, I had to break the rules and let some of my customers know, because one day I'm doing a big extension and the next I'm appearing on TV.' On July 14, 2000, Phillips and nine other contestants – including ex-nun Anna Nolan, city broker Nick Bateman, assertive Melanie Hill and chicken-phobic Darren Ramsay, none of whom had met before – entered the house in Bow, east London, watched by host Davina McCall, a small audience of friends and family and a few thousand via a choppy livestream online. Ladbrokes tipped Nolan to win, and gave the longest odds to Bateman, Ramsay and Phillips. Four days later, Channel 4's TV coverage began, as the housemates became acquainted – for better or worse – doing nothing much but boredly parading about in swimwear and getting on each other's nerves. 'When you're in that environment, it's surprising how much things bother you,' says Phillips. 'Caroline [O'Shea], for instance; she'd be drinking a cup of tea, then put it on the very edge of a table. And I'd be looking at it, thinking, 'You're going to knock that off…' That used to grate on me.' But viewers couldn't get enough, and the programme became the talking point of that summer, while, inside, they remained blissfully unaware. On day 35, Phillips famously confronted Bateman – immortalised as ' Nasty Nick ' in the tabloids – for passing covert notes to housemates encouraging them to nominate certain people for eviction, and the country came to a standstill. 'It didn't feel that big because we had confrontations pretty much every day,' remembers Phillips now. 'I personally just felt very let down by Nick. We were developing good friendships that were hopefully going to last forever, because we're all in this unique experiment. We felt betrayed.' Although Bateman was removed from the show, the two remained friends, with Phillips even having a key to his London flat. On day 64, Phillips emerged from the Big Brother house as the series' champion, winning £70,000. 'It was like coming up for air,' he says. 'I came out to fireworks, and it was all very overwhelming. Joanne was there and I told her I was giving her the money, and everyone was calling my name – it was bonkers.' But being at the vanguard of a cultural phenomenon is not necessarily a pleasant experience. 'As soon as the live finale finished, I was driven away to a hotel with a police escort, as the press were chasing me. But no one was telling me what was going on. I felt like I was being kidnapped.' In his suite, around 25 people were waiting for him – including Brett Carr, the show's psychiatrist, who told him he was now the most talked-about person in Britain. He had yet to see his own family. 'It was terrifying,' he says. 'My knees were shaking. I felt vulnerable and panicky. It was not what I was expecting. All the things he was telling me were not sinking in. Then my cousin Steven arrived, and we sat up drinking until 8am. From there, it was straight to a press conference. Every time I moved, 50 flashbulbs went off.' Unknown to the contestants, they had all been signed to agent Keith Woodhams. 'On the night I won, we were all up on stage, and one of the other housemates, Tom [McDermott], put his hand over my mic and said in my ear, 'F--k Keith Woodhams off'. I didn't know who he was talking about.' He soon found out. Woodhams wanted this new star to commit to a long-term contract, but Phillips was sensibly reticent. 'He kept pressuring me almost to the point of threatening me,' he says. 'I'd only been out of the house a week and was really enjoying the life – every famous person wanted to be my friend – but he was telling me it would all end tomorrow if I didn't sign. 'Davina had said to call her if I ever needed anything, so she put me in touch with her agent, John Noel. In the meantime, I had Max Clifford telling he'd make me a millionaire, but John understood what I needed.' Everyone wanted a piece of him, and after his exit from the Big Brother house, Phillips didn't go home for 97 days. For half a decade, he forged a career in DIY TV shows. Now, over 2000 television appearances later, that's taken a back seat. 'My fame, obviously, has declined,' he says candidly. 'I always expected it, and I'm not upset about it. Most stuff I've been offered over the past seven or eight years, I've turned down. The money didn't justify me doing that work. As Barbara Windsor once said to me, 'Television is a fantastic industry to be in – when you don't need it. Don't get to a point where you do.' Always with a strong work ethic – he started working in a butcher's shop at 13 after the death of his father – he makes his money today as he always did, in property. He's also a brand ambassador, an after-dinner speaker and has a lucrative YouTube channel (Mr & Mrs DIY). While many of the cast of series one turned their backs on the limelight, Big Brother quickly returned to TV, opening the floodgates for fame-seekers and show-offs with little to offer. Meanwhile, the original BB villain, Bateman, moved to Australia when he proved unable to shake off the Nasty Nick tag at home. 'We were very naïve,' muses Phillips, who's only occasionally in touch with a handful of the housemates today. Although he says he didn't follow subsequent series, he is aware of some of those who had an adverse experience on the show, including Jade Goody who, in the 2007 series, was part of a confrontation with Shilpa Shetty that saw her being branded a 'racist bully' by the Daily Mirror. 'She wasn't a racist,' asserts Phillips, 'she was just poorly educated. When she got angry, she'd go over the top'. As for the original cast from series one, Phillips says, 'We'd gone in not really expecting much, but we all got a lot from it. There was no social media then. But today, you need to be strong enough to accept you could come out very badly from it. It's a dangerous position to be in.' 'Fame and fortune do not go hand in hand.'
Mint
13-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Solo entrepreneurs not personally liable for debts of their one person firms: HC
Mumbai: A crucial ruling by the Bombay High Court, which declared that solo entrepreneurs operating One Person Companies (OPCs) generally cannot be held personally liable for company debts, could give a shot in the arm to entrepreneurship in India, experts said. The 3 July judgement reinforces the legislative intent behind one person companies by ring-fencing the private assets of entrepreneurs from their business liabilities while also raising the bar for creditors attempting to pursue the founder's personal assets. The ruling emerged from a dispute between Endemol India and Innovative Film Academy Pvt. Ltd, an OPC solely owned by Saravana Prasad. Endemol sought to recover over ₹ 10 crore in unpaid dues from a production agreement, not only from the company but also from Prasad personally, demanding disclosure of his private assets. An arbitral tribunal had initially ordered both the company and Prasad to deposit the disputed sum in a fixed deposit and disclose their financial details. Prasad and Innovative Film Academy promptly challenged this order in the Bombay High Court. The high court firmly reaffirmed that an OPC, despite having just one shareholder and director, remains a distinct legal entity. This crucial distinction means a company's debts do not automatically become the personal responsibility of its owner. 'The OPC is meant to create a framework whereby individuals who need the protection of limited liability can ring-fence their personal liability and personal assets from the risks involved in the businesses run by them,' the court observed. Crucially, the court found no evidence that Prasad had personally guaranteed the company's debts or acted outside his role as director. It clarified that, absent a clear contractual or legal basis—such as a personal guarantee or proven fraud—the sole shareholder cannot be made personally liable for the company's obligations. The court upheld the tribunal's order requiring Innovative Film Academy to place the disputed sum in a fixed deposit to ensure funds are available if Endemol's claim ultimately succeeds. There were about 68,500 active OPCs in India as of 31 May, as per data from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. This compares to 1.9 million active companies, of which 1.8 million are private limited. The concept of OPCs was first introduced in India in 2013. Experts believe this ruling strongly aligns with the legislative policy to encourage entrepreneurship by allowing individuals to register OPCs and insulate their personal assets from business risks. 'This judgment brings in the desired clarity with respect to liability of sole member and company," said Gaurav Pingle, a practising company secretary. It will reinforce confidence in formation of One Person Companies by entrepreneurs, giving a fillip to starting up new businesses in India, he said. The judgement also sets a crucial legal precedent regarding debt recovery from OPCs. 'Till date there has been no case law relating to OPC. This seems to be the very first one and it has continued with the existing jurisprudence of restricting the grounds on which the corporate veil is to be lifted,' said Jayesh H, co-founder of Juris Corp. The ruling could prompt arbitral tribunals and lower courts to be more cautious when imposing personal liability on OPC owners without clear evidence, said Vishal Gehrana, partner designate at Karanjawala & Co. There is a perceivable downside to this ruling, too. Overly strict adherence to this principle by courts could lead to the risk of misuse, experts warned. 'If courts are rigid in upholding the corporate form in all circumstances, there is a possibility that individuals could exploit the OPC structure to shield themselves from liability, even in cases involving fraud, misrepresentation, or diversion of funds,' Gehrana stated. Thankfully, the benefits of OPCs being a separate legal entity cannot be availed when the person has committed frauds, misused the company as an entity or given personal guarantee and then defaulted, said Pingle, the company secretary. The ruling undeniably raises the bar for creditors seeking to recover dues from OPC owners. 'Creditors must now be more diligent in their contractual arrangements with OPCs, ensuring that personal guarantees or other security mechanisms are in place if they wish to have recourse beyond the company's assets,' Gehrana said. He added that without such arrangements or clear evidence of fraud, creditors cannot automatically look to the personal assets of the sole shareholder. Despite the new-found clarity, lawyers caution that certain ambiguities persist. 'The scope of veil piercing is not fully elaborated—the judgment affirms that the veil can be pierced in cases of fraud or wrongdoing, but does not specify the evidentiary threshold or the precise circumstances that would justify such action for OPCs,' Gehrana noted, suggesting this could lead to inconsistent application in future cases.
