Nick Bateman made his name on the inaugural series of Big Brother on Channel 4 in 2000 thanks to his ‘nasty’ reputation, but 26 years later he is a changed man
Nick Bateman is unrecognisable from his time on Big Brother (file)(Image: Eamonn McCormack/WireImage/Getty Images Europe)
Big Brother makes a welcome return to ITV2 this evening (September 13) with a new cast of housemates looking to scoop £100,000 in prize money on the AJ Odudu and Will Best-fronted show. While all eyes will be on those new housemates, a name that is synonymous with all fans of the original reality show is that of ‘Nasty Nick’ who featured in the first ever series of the reality show, broadcast on Channel 4 in 2000.
The groundbreaking social experiment saw Craig Phillips crowned the winner, and also saw the likes of runner-up Anna Nolan, Nichola Holt and Caroline O’Shea earn their five minutes of fame.
Nick Bateman, meanwhile, gained notoriety for his ‘nasty’ antics, playing his fellow contestants off each other and using his intelligence to manipulate certain situations to his benefit. He was ultimately removed from the Big Brother house after five weeks, however, following a nomination rule break and subsequently replaced by Claire Strutton.
Prior to that, however, the finance broker from London had charmed his housemates – and somewhat strangely perhaps, was so well-liked he received no nominations for evictions whatsoever during his 34 days in the house.
Nick went on to feature on a number of other reality shows, meanwhile, including Come Dine With Me and The Weakest Link.
And he later returned to an all-stars version of Big Brother in 2010 – dubbed Big Brother Ultimate – finishing in fifth place behind Brian Dowling, the late Nikki Grahame, Chantelle Houghton and Victor Ebuwa.
Three years later, Nick moved to Sydney, Australia in a bid to shake off his notoriety in the public eye, instead living a quiet life on the other side of the world.
Down Under, her reverted to his birth name, Jack, and found love in 2007 when he married a fashion magazine writer, Lynnette Peck. The pair went into business together in 2011, establishing Lovely’s Vintage Emporium but parted ways after eight years of marriage.
Talking about the move to Heart Bingo, Nick opened up: “I first came here when I was younger and fell in love with the country, so I think it would have always happened. It’s one of those countries that’s so progressive, and you can start your life again at any age and reinvent yourself.
“People are just happy and smiling. There’s fresh air and better food and no animosity from other people. I’m happier here than I would be anywhere else. I won’t go back to England.”
Nick found himself in Big Brother hot water once again in 2020 after a blast from the past feud with fellow housemate Craig during a chance meeting in Australia. The pair met for a few hours while Craig and his wife Laura were travelling around the country, but things soon turned sour.
Craig was reportedly left fuming after Nick told him “lie after lie” during their time together. He said: “The last person I saw was Nasty Nick. Laura and I went travelling around Asia and then went on to Australia – Sydney and Perth. I knew Nick was living in Sydney so I spent four or five hours with him over a couple of bottles of wine. Sometimes you can catch him when he’s a bit normal but because Laura was there it was lie after lie after lie!”
Today, former reality star Nick dabbles in a multitude of things, explaining that he works across marketing, sales, and promotions for companies.
And as for modern-day Big Brother, Nick believes the show has lost its sparkle. “People are using the show as a vehicle for their social media careers,” he explained.
“It has lost its innocence and its fun. It has lost its identity. They need to go back to basics with normal people, a stripped-back house, and the original tasks.”
Big Brother UK launches on Sunday September 13 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
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