Big Brother 'I’ve been with Big Brother from Day One!'

As the 10th series of Big Brother gets underway, What’s On TV chats to Marcus Bentley, owner of the unmistakable Geordie voice commenting on all the crazy events in the Big Brother house.

Here, he tells us what it’s like to have been with the reality show from its very first day, and reveals some favourite moments and insider secrets...

When you first started, did you imagine it was going to become the huge phenomenon it has?
"Absolutely not. I even deliberated whether to do it. The thing was, I’m a trained actor, and I wasn’t keen on becoming a ‘voiceover bloke’. Then they said it was a 12-week job, so I accepted, thinking I’d see how it goes. But it just got bigger and bigger and then just exploded over that whole Nasty Nick thing in week five. It went beserk in the media about then. After that I thought, 'hang on, I’m on to a good thing here...'"

So is the show’s success down to Nasty Nick?
"Not really, he was catalyst. The show made its own success just because there had been nothing like it. There have been many pretenders since, but none quite like Big Brother, or as good. It’s completely in its own box. I suppose Nasty Nick was the first big drama the show had – and everyone realised its potential after that. with housemates being devious and the house being a microcosm of god knows what. Nick was just the first of many to get people hooked. He was just the big story that year."

What are your favourite memories from the last 10 years of the show?
"I remember being stunned in the first week of the first Big Brother when all the housemates got stark naked, rubbed themselves in mud, made body prints all over the wall, then all had a shower together. I loved watching Helen and Paul’s romance in the next series, not to mention the humour of Brian Dowling, who’s probably the funniest ever housemate. And Big Brother three is where it went absolutely massive, what with Jade Goody dominating everything."

Who was favourite housemate ever?
"My top has got to be Makosi in series 6. She’s never been bettered. She was so devious, sexy – I’d never seen anything like it. She seemed to be on a permanent secret mission, and she was so devious some of the newspapers thought she was a plant by the producers. She certainly knew how to stir things up."

Do a lot of people recognise your very familiar Geordie voice in everyday life?
"Absolutely. Going back a couple of years, someone got hold of my home phone number and were ringing all hours of the night to listen to my answerphone message. My wife now does our message. My voice gets recognised more while Big Brother is on – in supermarkets and places like that – but then I’m the sort of bloke who opens his mouth at every opportunity. I love the look on some people’s faces when they suss it. Luckily for me, it’s always a favourable response. I do love it when I’m sitting on a train and I hear people taking me off, saying, 'It’s Day 25 in the Big Brother Hoose!' without realising I’m sitting next to them!"

Are your observations on the show scripted, or do you have a big input?
"It is scripted. Obviously there’s 24 hours put into a 50-minute show and there is a Big Brother style to the observations. A lot of the time it’s just stating the bleeding obvious, like so-and-so is in the kitchen drinking tea. We generally let the housemates tell their own story. Sometimes I can get a hint of sarcasm in there by the tone of my voice. And sometimes the producers let me put in my own little bits, but I try not to be too much of a know-all."

Are you ever disappointed with housemates?
"Oh yes. My biggest disappointment is when a housemate promises so much. Don’t forget their auditions are really strenuous, then they’re lucky enough to get into that house and for whatever reason they don’t do anything, but sit in the background being a quiet little mute, and really waste their opportunity. The producers go to extraordinary lengths to get the balance right and invariably they do. But there’s always somebody, every year who’s dull - I’m not going to name names.

"On the other hand, some contestants act in a way producers never expected, whether they’re unexpectedly volatile or whatever. I remember back to the beginning – Nasty Nick was really only put in there to have a ‘posh’ bloke for balance. Then we all realised this bloke was absolutely off the wall, making up stories about a girlfriend who’d been killed etc. But with some people like Pete, with Tourettes - they knew exactly what dynamic he was going to bring to the house. But really the people making the show can never really know how it’s going to go even though they’re on the 10th series. "

Because of the Jade tragedy, will this series be a little more poignant for those involved in the show?
"I haven’t a clue about that – the show generally always moves forward. Jade had an amazing opportunity seven years ago – she was a great contestant. I met her loads of times and she had something about her – the X Factor or whatever. This girl did so much, she was unbelievable."