Afternoon:
9°c
Boris Johnson has soared ahead of Ken Livingstone in the race to be Mayor, an Evening Standard poll reveals
More...
Stars enjoy first night in Big Brother house
By This is London 04.01.07
Ken Russell makes his entrance
Dirk Benedict puffs on his trademark cigar
Donny Tourette and Leo Sayer get friendly
Related links
Look here too
It was a surreal beginning to this year's Celebrity Big Brother as legendary film director Ken Russell belted out Singing in the Rain to a bemused crowd of onlookers.
He was one of the 11 famous faces who last night joined the competition to last the full 25 days on the hit reality show.
See more pictures from the first night in the house here
A-Team and Z-list. The Big Brother line-up
His fellow housemates are columnist Carole Malone, actress Cleo Rocos, rocker Donny Tourette, ex-Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd, actor Dirk Benedict, former Steps singer Ian 'H' Watkins, former Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson, former S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meara, Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and singer Leo Sayer.
But it was Russell's entrance that stole the show.
Asked who would be watching him, the director, who says he is a huge fan of Big Brother, replied: "My big brother and my big mother."
But as he walked unsteadily up the steps towards the entrance, he whimpered: "I don't want to go."
Host Davina McCall then helped the filmmaker, 79, who was wearing a flamboyant patterned pink shirt and waistcoat, slowly down the stairs to the house.
Inside, the father-of-eight told the other housemates: "I am an old English film director."
His memorable entrance was almost matched by that of rocker Donny Tourette, lead singer of big-haired punk band Towers of London.
They claim to have bedded 500 girls between them during their time on the road.
Tourette, who is thought to have dated Peaches Geldof, made a less-than-dignified entrance as he made repeated hand gestures at the crowd.
They retaliated with a continuous chant of "who are ya?"
Asked by McCall if he was feeling "rock and roll", the singer, 25, said: "The problem is are these people feeling f***king rock and roll?"
As he got inside, Tourette, who admits having "dirty habits", complained about the "dickheads", possibly meaning the crowd.
Surprisingly, he was immediately recognised by Leo Sayer. "He used to come around my house," Sayer said.
Meanwhile, McCall told viewers that Tourette had "smelled like a brewery".
Actor Dirk Benedict, who starred as dashing Templeton 'The Face' Peck in hit Eighties show The A-Team, enjoyed a warmer reception from the crowd.
He made a classic entrance by arriving at the house in a replica of the famous black-with-red-stripe A-Team van.
Smoking on a trademark cigar, Benedict spent several seconds soaking up the adulation from the crowd.
Then the 61-year-old told McCall: "I have no idea why I am here. What am I doing? I offer myself up as a sacrifice for the A-Team."
Earlier in the evening, Jermaine Jackson became the first of the contestants to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house.
He told Davina that his brother would be watching.
"Michael's in Vegas right now but he has a way of seeing everything," he said.
Next in was Danielle Lloyd who was booed by the crowd as she walked the red carpet.
The 23-year-old glamour model was stripped of her Miss Great Britain title after she posed for Playboy and it emerged she was dating competition judge Teddy Sheringham.
As Lloyd met Jackson, McCall said: "I don't think she knows who he is."
Ken Russell was third, followed by former S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meara.
The blonde pop star-turned-dog breeder, 27, told Davina: "I am absolutely terrified, I can't tell you how scared I am."
Next, curly-haired singer Leo Sayer made a quieter entrance than some of his co-contestants, telling Davina that being on Big Brother was "something to do in January in the rain".
Wearing an eye-catching pink sari, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, 31, was the sixth person to enter the house.
"Being a celebrity is really tough," she said in a pre-recorded clip.
She was followed by Carole Malone, the Sunday Mirror columnist, who admitted that she had called previous Celebrity Big Brother contestants "a bunch of morons".
But Malone, 47, defended her presence on the show, saying: "Every journalist in the country wants to write about this."
Next in was rocker Donny Tourette, followed by former Steps singer Ian 'H' Watkins, 30.
In a pre-recorded clip he said: "People's perception of me is that I'm that blond knob from Steps." But, he added, he is no longer blond.
Explaining his decision to come out as gay in the Sun newspaper, he told McCall: "I'm really proud of who I am and I just want everybody to know."
Watkins was followed by actress and writer Cleo Rocos, 44, who shot to fame on The Kenny Everett Show in the 1980s.
She revealed that she was single and looking for love. "I'm into OIL: old, ill and loaded."
Last into the house was actor Dirk Benedict, before McCall revealed that a spanner would be thrown into the works tomorrow when a "family" would arrive - rumoured to be former Big Brother contestant Jade Goody and relatives.
The celebrities had an early chance to get up close and personal when they discovered there were just 10 beds for the 11 stars.
When it was time to choose their beds the celebrities all raced to claim their spot, with the ten single beds quickly snapped up.
Popstar Jo was unhappy after she was slowest off the mark and landed the double bed, meaning she had to share with moody rocker Donny, a prospect she did not appear to relish.
More
Reader views (10)
Dammit - Dirk Benedict rocks. Always a great guy and God knows we in the States are being robbed not seeing him over here! Dirk is our boy and knows what wit is! I think that Anne Lockheart (and some other Battlestar Galactica actors )should be sent over to personally give Dirk a care package.
- John, Clifton Park, 11/01/2007 03:14
Report abuse
I watched with anticipation, having read the lists of possibles in the papers. What a dissapointment. The word 'celebrity' should have been removed from the title, as it had to be from Love Island !
Record careers to re-establish, acting careers dead in the water to revive, perhaps publicity to raise money to finance a film from a has been film maker - 79 years old - he must be desperate.
Leo Sayer for ....sake - Cleo Roccas unheard of since Kenny Everett hundreds of years ago. Someone sent down to the DHSS to pick a few up.
Someone is going to have to work really hard, or make them suffer to get me to care what happens to any of them. Big egos fighting over bathroom space ! We have just witnessed in close up the hanging of Sadam Hussein, lets get some perspective.
Please, please no more Jade Goody. Every time I fill up with petrol she is on the cover of magazines. Why ? Why are we celebrating stupidity and ignorance ? The WAG in there who cannot string 2 words together ?
Lowest common denominator comes to mind, trash TV. What a dissapointment and boring - if I was a real celeb, why on earth would I put myself through that ? Sharing bathroom facilities ? Having the public watch me pick my nose ? They obviously no longer have agents to fire !
We know what it is all about, they want to re-create their fame and make a bit of money out of it - make them suffer for it !!!
- Jeff,, Windsor, Berks, 04/01/2007 17:27
Report abuse
Dirk benedict arriving to the music of the A-team in the A-team van puffing on a fat cigar has to be the funniest moment of the series, Face to win!
- Helen F, Kent, 04/01/2007 11:44
Report abuse
What exactly qualifys someone to be a celebrity nowadays? I've only heard of about three of the people on it! Tip for the top is Ken Russell.
- Lucy, Kentish Town, London, 04/01/2007 11:39
Report abuse
I'd really like to see Leo Sayer win, he seems like he'd be good fun to be around.
- Martha, Wandsworth, London, 04/01/2007 11:32
Report abuse
I'd like Shilpa Shetty to win, she's a breath of fresh air.
- Colin, Islington, UK, 04/01/2007 11:28
Report abuse
I think Jermaine Jackson will be the dark horse, he'll have a lot of stories to tell so he should be quite entertaining. Donny Tourette was repulsive though, it seems he's only there for the shock factor.
- Mark, High Wycombe, UK, 04/01/2007 11:20
Report abuse
I think the line up looks great! A real mix of people in there, fair enough you couldn't quite call them all celebrities but its bound to raise a few laughs. Best moment of the night was when Danielle Lloyd thought that Winston Churchill was U.S's first black leader.
- Stu, Acton, London, 04/01/2007 11:13
Report abuse
A bunch of wannabies and has beens trying to claw back 15 minutes of fame. Leo sayer is already annoying everyone. Reckon Dirk Benedict will win it and then no doubt we'll be treated to an A-Team revival!
- Toby, Clapham, London, 04/01/2007 11:02
Report abuse
The biggest bunch of miss fits around! The funniest part was when they entered the house they had no idea who anyone else was. I think that Ken Russell will probably steal it though.
- Dave, Brixton, London, 04/01/2007 10:57
Report abuse
