LUKE MARSDEN: The day I set foot in the Big Brother House

Luke Marsden (third left) with other members of the Big Brother Nine household

I was then blindfolded, fitted with noise-cancelling headphones and put in the back of a van. You’d be forgiven for thinking I was part of a Liam Neeson movie plot but I was about to embark on something much stranger. I was about to enter the Big Brother house.

I stepped out of the van to the tail end of Davina McCall saying my name, complete strangers booing (hissing in some cases) judging me on 30 clips spliced together.

“Smaller than I expected.” Words that can be applied to several situations, but these were my first thoughts as I set foot inside Britain’s most famous bungalow. The wide lens cameras distorted on TV just how small the house actually was. I’ll never forget the smell of fresh paint and plaster because despite looking like a posh home it really was just a few plasterboard walls on some concrete (similar to a new build these days!) with dozens of remote-controlled cameras watching everything. And, yes, you had to either get comfortable very quickly with the idea of someone watching you on the toilet or be permanently constipated.

I’ll never forget the summer of 2008 (no matter how hard I try in certain instances. Thanks Google!) Being one of fewer than 400 civilians to enter the BB house remains a privilege. June 5 2008 I stopped being Luke Marsden and became Luke from Big Brother and you’d think 13 years on I would’ve reverted to the former.

And how did I celebrate the 13th anniversary of BB9 launch night? Resting after my first Covid jab. Maybe Big Brother is still watching me after all...

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