Celebrity Big Brother’s line-up is spectacular

What last year’s series really missed, and what so often gets overlooked, is a hero (Picture: Getty / REX / ITV)

Celebrity Big Brother has finally returned with what promises to be one of its best line-ups of all time.

Last night, 12 famous faces walked through the iconic double doors – some with more success than others.

The one and only Chesney Hawkes was the first, after somehow evading a Celebrity Big Brother stint for the last two decades, followed by the likes of EastEnders icon Patsy Palmer, Gen Z sensation Jojo Siwa, chat show host Trisha Goddard and Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard all following to cheers.

Celebrity Big Brother’s most-anticipated signing, Hollywood star and Oscar-nominee, Micky Rourke managed to make the public turn on during the walk from his car to the house, inappropriately grabbing AJ Odudu who, with the help of her co-host Will Best, had to forcibly shove him through the double doors and lock up behind him.

It was a car-crash, Rourke should immediately be removed from the house, regardless of his A-list celebrity status, and this Celebrity Big Brother will still be a resounding triumph.

ITV launched its first ever Celebrity Big Brother in 2024 and only really gave us two reasons to tune in – Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.

After a surprisingly triumphant civilian series, strangely, the celebrity version didn’t manage to capture the same magic.

Louis was unashamedly destructive, a bigger bitch than anyone could have imagined, spilling so much tea it’s a wonder PG Tips didn’t experience a drought. He was uncomfortable to watch and a year on is everything that series Celebrity Big Brother will be remembered for.

What last year’s series really missed, and what so often gets overlooked, is a hero.

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Too often producers get lured in by wanting to create a house full of drama they forget to give us anyone to root for.

David Potts eventually won that Celebrity Big Brother, and deservedly so. But he wasn’t exactly a hero – there was no real arc. I can’t remember anything he did other than be unapologetically himself, which is admirable, yes, but… a winner?

David Potts eventually won that Celebrity Big Brother, and deservedly so (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock)

But ahead of this year’s series, we’re being promised some heroes peppered with some explosive characters bound to go down in the Big Brother history books, for better or worse.

Trisha Goddard is one of the most courageous and brilliant women in television, hence her historic career spanning almost 40 years on screen. She’s vastly more intelligent than the average CBB housemate, both intellectually and emotionally, and essentially built a career on breaking boundaries and showing unrivalled empathy.

Last night, she became the first ever Celebrity Big Brother contestant to receive palliative care while in the house after being diagnosed with terminal stage 4 breast cancer in 2022.

She’s stressed she doesn’t want anyone’s ‘pity’ but I think she’ll only get total admiration both inside and outside of the house, marking a historic moment in television as she proves you can go so much further than just live with cancer, you can absolutely thrive.