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Big Brother: Career springboard

Summer is on its way. And in television land that means only one thing; a new series of Big Brother will be taking over our living rooms.

Big Brother 9 bursts onto the box this week. And while we wait with bated breath for this years' line up of celebrity wannabes to be unveiled, it's worth taking a look at what the show has done for some of the more successful ex-housemates.

Craig Phillips - Big Brother 1 (2000)

After winning Big Brother, Craig, like a number of BB contestants went on to work in television. Big Brother 1 aired in 2000, fortunately for a man of Craig's skills, at the height of the TV DIY boom. Naturally, Craig became the face of a whole host of shows and you can still catch him in on ITV daytime with '60 Minute Makeover'.

What's not so well known is that Craig has since developed a 'Building School'. The school is the largest independent construction and training academy in the North West. Opened in September 2005 by Cherie Blair, it now has the capacity to train over 500 students on a daily basis.

Not bad then for a cheeky North West chappie with a heart of gold; and it just goes to prove the value of vocational qualifications.

Narinder Kaur - Big Brother 2 (2001)

Narinder was actually a medical rep and a dab hand at Indian cooking. Since leaving the house, aside from the press and TV appearances that follow as standard, Narinder turned her hand to writing and did a stint as a radio presenter for Century 105 in the North West. Her book; 'Big Brother: The Inside Story' saw her travelling the country in 2007 speaking not only to past contestants, but getting industry insight from TV producers and execs.

Alison Hammond - Big Brother 3 (2002)

A child actress and former holiday rep, Alison has gone on to build herself a pretty successful presenting career. Her infectious personality meant she bagged the job as resident showbiz reporter for ITV's This Morning show.

She can be found harassing A-listers into singing with her (in a recent Celine Dion interview) or eating cream cakes (Donny Osmond got a bit of a shock!) and has successfully built up a career in media without falling fate to the shenanigans some of the former housemates have resorted to. In fact many people forget she was originally a Big Brother housemate. No mean feat.

Definitely a case where Big Brother was a strategic career move that paid off. Go Alison!

Jon Tickle - Big Brother 4 (2003)

Originally a gas fitter from Norwich, Mr Tickle has gone on to become an unlikely TV personality by effectively turning his hobby into a career. He can be found explaining scientific theory via hair-brained antics (such as walking across a pool filled with custard) on Sky One's Brainiac: Science Abuse. He's also an avid inventor with items such as the 'time delay toaster'.

Proof that you can land your dream job doing the things you enjoy out of work, while you're in work.

Derek Laud - Big Brother 6 (2005)

Prior to his stint in the house, Derek was once a Conservative parliamentary candidate and speech writer for the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Michael Heseltine. He has used his Big Brother fame to further his career and since appeared on the likes of Question Time and as a speaker at the Conservative Party conference.

So, rather than succumbing to the pitfalls of Z-list celebdom (he had plenty of famous friends to start with), Derek has successfully used the Big Brother platform as a vehicle to network and raise his professional profile.

Attention seeker?

You might not need to go to the extreme of appearing on reality television, but it's certainly one way to get yourself noticed! Don't forget though, if you're trying out unusual tactics to get the job, the key is confidence and assertiveness - not arrogance and stupidity!

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