Half a year after the Big Brother 1 series came a special celebrity version for the comic relief event. The series only lasted a week, with six contestants, one nominated each day, but made fascinating viewing nevertheless. The show was co-hosted by Channel 4 (who own the rights for the UK version of the show) and BBC1, who were hosting the other Comic Relief events. All money earned from the phone polls went towards the Comic Relief cause.

The Celebrity Contestants

• Jack Dee - Winner of Celebrity Big Brother. A dry, witty comedian, Jack Dee provided bags of entertainment for the audience by being very depressive about the whole situation and desperate to leave the house. He tried to rebel against Big Brother by escaping from the house, only to be picked up by security guards some time later, and running out to hug his wife during another contestant's eviction. Jack Dee refused all interviews after the show, and cancelled all appearances on television that he had previously arranged.

• Vanessa Feltz - Vanessa, an ex-chat show host, seemed to become traumatised by the whole Big Brother experience, starting to write a string of words on the table at one point, and defying Big Brother's calls for her to enter the Diary Room. Vanessa frequently broke down into tears, and was reported by Jack Dee to be 'emotionally unstable'.

• Chris Eubank - First contestant evicted. The ex-boxer provided much hilarity by prancing around the house in his long robes, often on his scooter, oblivious to what people think of him. Calm and dignified throughout, he remarked when leaving the house that his purpose was to provide entertainment for the public and to raise money for charity.

• Claire Sweeney - Taking a short break from the television soap Brookside, Claire benefited from the Big Brother experience by becoming more well known to the public and demonstrating her singing talent.

• Keith Duffy from Boyzone - A singer in a well known Irish pop band, Keith demonstrated during his time in the house that he is more than an idol for teenage girls to scream at. Keith spent more time than anyone else talking about sex and sexual matters, but gently humoured the audience, who came to look upon him affectionately.

• Anthea Turner - A previous Blue Peter presenter, Anthea was for a long time the face of the British National Lottery. She fared well in the house, again revealing herself to an audience who only had a single impression of her. In a statement that was not broadcast on the programme, but revealed by tabloid newspapers afterward, Anthea admitted to having used cannabis in a stew once - no huge crime, but a fuss was made nevertheless.