Brian Dowling
Encyclopedia
Brian Patrick Robert Dowling (born 13 June 1978) is an Irish
television presenter who rose to fame after being crowned the winner of the second series of UK reality television
show Big Brother
in 2001. He also won Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, making him the ultimate Big Brother housemate. In 2008, he was runner-up in the Irish reality television series Fáilte Towers
.
Dowling guest-presented Live From Studio Five
alongside Kate Walsh from 2010-11 until its cancellation in February 2011. On 21 July 2011, it was confirmed that he would host the UK edition of Big Brother
upon its transfer to Channel 5 and has so far presented the 12th series of the original show and two series of the celebrity editions.
, County Kildare
, Ireland, trained as a holiday rep and air steward, working as a flight attendant for Ryanair
. He came out
as gay
to his parents two weeks before appearing in Big Brother in 2001.
in the final and polling 4,231,660 votes (58%) out of a total 7,255,094. He has been voted favourite ever Big Brother
housemate in the UK on several occasions. In 2010 Brian returned to compete in the final Big Brother on channel 4 and he became the Ultimate Big Brother Housemate. Brian spent a total of 82 days in the Big Brother house, 64 for his original stay and later 18 days for Ultimate Big Brother. He also holds a record for never being placed up for eviction during his two stays in the Big Brother house.
, becoming the first openly gay children's television presenter. He also presented his own show on ITV
, Brian's Boyfriends, as well as narrating the Channel 4
reality show The Salon
.
In 2002, Brian co-hosted the Elle Style Awards
with BBC Radio 1
presenter Jo Whiley
. In 2003 he joined Duncan James
and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
in presenting the Now Magazine
Style Awards, where he also won the award for Most Stylish UK TV Personality."
Dowling regularly stood in for Liz Bonnin
on LivingTV
's Celebrity Extra
show in 2004. He has also voiced numerous adverts and TV series and has presented the companion show to I'm Famous and Frightened!
.
In July 2005, Dowling fronted the Party in the Park concert in Leeds
with Coronation Street
s Nikki Sanderson
. He then went on to front the Irish O2 in the Park concert, in Phoenix Park
, Dublin, alongside Fran Cosgrave
and Caroline Morahan
in August 2005.
Dowling hosted a showbiz slot on Vernon Kay
's BBC Radio 1
Saturday morning show from 9 October 2004 to September 2006.
In October 2005, Dowling presented a series of special Christmas features as part of Sky Digital's Interactive platform programming, titled Christmas Wrapped Up, in which he reviewed and helped to promote products that were available for purchase in the shopping areas of Sky Digital's Sky Active
service.
Dowling was reintroduced as a presenter on ITV
in March 2006 when the network launched its ITV Play
subsidiary. Along with six others, Dowling was signed up as a presenter of the network's interactive gamble based telephone show, The Mint. The game show ran till 2007.
Dowling was a contestant in the ITV
reality series Hell's Kitchen
during September 2007, in which he competed against other celebrities to impress celebrity chef Marco Pierre White
. Dowling finished in third place. Whilst participating, he had numerous clashes with fellow contestant Jim Davidson
because of what Dowling interpreted as Davidson's homophobic
slurs. Davidson was subsequently asked to leave the show as a contestant due to what ITV described as "unacceptable remarks" against Dowling.
His next job was as the presenter of a spin off show to Sky1's second series of Cirque de Celebrité
entitled Backstage at the Big Top.
Following on from this, in August 2008, Dowling was a contestant in the Irish reality television show, Fáilte Towers
, where he and 12 other celebrities had to take on the roles of hotel staff. He came second to John Creedon
. He then went on to become a contestant on TV3's Celebrity Salon, in which he and several other Irish celebrities (Pippa O'Connor, Leigh Arnold, Virginia Macari, Celia Holman Lee
and Breffny Morgan) learn the tools of the beauty trade. Celebrity Salon began airing on Monday 7 June 2010. Tasks included giving facials, waxing, performing cosmetic surgery, hairdressing and styling.
He also appeared in a special episode of Come Dine with Me
, alongside three other previous winners of Big Brother and was declared winner.
Dowling was crowned Ultimate Big Brother Housemate on 10 September 2010 at the end of the Ultimate Big Brother series that saw the end of Big Brother UK's transmission on Channel Four.
Following this he has appeared as co-host alongside Katherine Lynch
on the RTE2 series Wagons Den.
On 22 July 2011 it was confirmed that Dowling will be presenting the new series of Big Brother on Channel 5.
Christmas
pantomimes, at Dublin's Tivoli Theatre
. In December 2008-January 2009, he starred as the evil Captain Hook
in Anthem Productions' presentation of Peter Pan
. Since then, Dowling has had the new character "Bridie" created for him, appearing in 2009's Cinderella and 2010's Beauty and the Beast.
|-
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
television presenter who rose to fame after being crowned the winner of the second series of UK reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
in 2001. He also won Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, making him the ultimate Big Brother housemate. In 2008, he was runner-up in the Irish reality television series Fáilte Towers
Fáilte Towers
Fáilte Towers was an RTÉ reality TV show that was broadcast as a one off during August 2008. The concept of the show involves thirteen celebrities running a hotel for sixteen days and nights in order to win money for their designated charities. The show format was not repeated nor was it exported...
.
Dowling guest-presented Live From Studio Five
Live from Studio Five
Live From Studio Five was an early evening, British magazine programme which was produced by Sky News for Channel 5. The show was presented by Kate Walsh and a line-up of other co-presenters during its run. It consisted of interviews and discussing topical issues, with an emphasis on showbusiness...
alongside Kate Walsh from 2010-11 until its cancellation in February 2011. On 21 July 2011, it was confirmed that he would host the UK edition of Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
upon its transfer to Channel 5 and has so far presented the 12th series of the original show and two series of the celebrity editions.
Early life
Before he entered the public eye, Dowling, from RathanganRathangan, County Kildare
Rathangan is a town in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, with a population of 1,718. It is located from the centre of Dublin, and from Kildare, at the intersection of the R401, R414, and R419 regional roads. The Slate River and the Grand Canal run through the town.Rathangan is situated beside...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, trained as a holiday rep and air steward, working as a flight attendant for Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
. He came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
to his parents two weeks before appearing in Big Brother in 2001.
Big Brother
He was the eventual winner of the series, beating Helen AdamsHelen Adams
Helen Adams rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a contestant on the second series of the reality television show Big Brother, in 2001.-Big Brother:...
in the final and polling 4,231,660 votes (58%) out of a total 7,255,094. He has been voted favourite ever Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
housemate in the UK on several occasions. In 2010 Brian returned to compete in the final Big Brother on channel 4 and he became the Ultimate Big Brother Housemate. Brian spent a total of 82 days in the Big Brother house, 64 for his original stay and later 18 days for Ultimate Big Brother. He also holds a record for never being placed up for eviction during his two stays in the Big Brother house.
Media career
Dowling followed his Big Brother success by presenting SMTV LiveSMTV Live
SMTV Live , also written SM:TV Live and in early promotional material SMTV://live, was a British Saturday morning children's television programme, first broadcast on ITV on 29 August 1998 and last broadcast on 27 December 2003.On the surface, the programme did not seem to stray away from the format...
, becoming the first openly gay children's television presenter. He also presented his own show on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, Brian's Boyfriends, as well as narrating the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
reality show The Salon
The Salon
The Salon was a British reality TV show where various members of the public were invited daily to have treatments in a studio built beauty salon situated in Balham, south-west London, and in the second series, a purpose-built studio inside the Trocadero, Piccadilly Circus.-Overview:Viewers were...
.
In 2002, Brian co-hosted the Elle Style Awards
Elle
Elle may refer to:*Elle, Central African Republic*Elle , a fashion publication*Ellé, a river in France*Elle , a female given name*Elle , a Sri Lankan game similar to baseball*Ælle of Sussex, a Saxon king...
with BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
presenter Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
. In 2003 he joined Duncan James
Duncan James
Duncan Matthew James Inglis is an English singer, actor and television presenter. He is best known as a member of the boyband Blue.-Early life:...
and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson also known as T P-T, is an English socialite, "it girl", television presenter, columnist and model...
in presenting the Now Magazine
NOW magazine (UK)
NOW is a British weekly entertainment magazine.It is a weekly magazine in the UK, with a regular circulation of 384,356. It is a mix of celebrity news, gossip and fashion and is primarily aimed at women...
Style Awards, where he also won the award for Most Stylish UK TV Personality."
Dowling regularly stood in for Liz Bonnin
Liz Bonnin
Liz Bonnin is a French television presenter who has worked on television in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. She currently works for the BBC.-Biography:...
on LivingTV
LIVINGtv
Sky Living is a UK television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, who purchased the Living TV Group group in 2010. Originally launched as UK Living in 1993, the channel changed its name to Living TV in 1997 and then to Living in 2007. On 1 February 2011 Living changed its name to Sky Living...
's Celebrity Extra
Celebrity Extra
Celebrity Extra was a British celebrity entertainment series on LivingTV. It was presented by Tania Bryer, followed by Liz Bonnin after a major revamp. Occasionally, Brian Dowling also hosted. It featured a mixture of star interviews and reviews....
show in 2004. He has also voiced numerous adverts and TV series and has presented the companion show to I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened was a Living TV reality TV show in which 8 celebrities stayed for three nights in a "haunted" castle. They had to then do terrifying challenges in order to raise money for charity; each one was evicted until only the winner was left.The first series aired on Friday 12...
.
In July 2005, Dowling fronted the Party in the Park concert in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
with Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
s Nikki Sanderson
Nikki Sanderson
Nikki Ann Sanderson is an English actress and glamour model who is best known for playing Candice Stowe in the television soap opera Coronation Street and Dawn Bellamy in ITV's Heartbeat...
. He then went on to front the Irish O2 in the Park concert, in Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
, Dublin, alongside Fran Cosgrave
Fran Cosgrave
Fran Cosgrave is an Irish nightclub owner, famous for appearing on reality television programmes and being the former Westlife bodyguard.-Biography:Cosgrave won the first season of ITV's Celebrity Love Island reality show in 2005...
and Caroline Morahan
Caroline Morahan
Caroline Morahan is an Irish actress and television host. She presents TV fashion show Off the Rails on RTÉ One. She has hosted numerous television shows including The Fame Game, Chance to Dance, The Podge and Rodge Show and The IFTA's Red Carpet Show, and has been a celebrity judge on talent shows...
in August 2005.
Dowling hosted a showbiz slot on Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay
Vernon Charles Kay is a British television presenter, radio DJ, american footballer and former model. He began television presenting on the BBC children's programme FBi, a spin-off of Fully Booked. Since he has presented various programmes, most notably T4, Beat the Star and All Star Family...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Saturday morning show from 9 October 2004 to September 2006.
In October 2005, Dowling presented a series of special Christmas features as part of Sky Digital's Interactive platform programming, titled Christmas Wrapped Up, in which he reviewed and helped to promote products that were available for purchase in the shopping areas of Sky Digital's Sky Active
Sky Active
Sky Active is the brand name for interactive features on Sky Digital and is available in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It enables a viewer to interact with TV content, respond to an advertisement or access internet-based services....
service.
Dowling was reintroduced as a presenter on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in March 2006 when the network launched its ITV Play
ITV Play
ITV Play was a 24/7 participation television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV plc. The ITV Play name continued on the ITV Network until December 2007....
subsidiary. Along with six others, Dowling was signed up as a presenter of the network's interactive gamble based telephone show, The Mint. The game show ran till 2007.
Dowling was a contestant in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
reality series Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)
Hell's Kitchen was a British cookery reality show aired on ITV which featured prospective chefs competing with each other for a final prize. Four series had been aired since 2004, three presented by Angus Deayton and the latest by Claudia Winkleman....
during September 2007, in which he competed against other celebrities to impress celebrity chef Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
. Dowling finished in third place. Whilst participating, he had numerous clashes with fellow contestant Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson (comedian)
Jim Davidson OBE is a British comedian, actor and television presenter. He has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British service personnel in conflict zones.- Biography :The son of a Glaswegian father, Davidson was born in...
because of what Dowling interpreted as Davidson's homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
slurs. Davidson was subsequently asked to leave the show as a contestant due to what ITV described as "unacceptable remarks" against Dowling.
His next job was as the presenter of a spin off show to Sky1's second series of Cirque de Celebrité
Cirque de Celebrité
Cirque de Celebrité was a celebrity reality TV show broadcast on Sky One. The show features celebrities training for and then performing various circus acts. The winner of the 2006 series was Grace Adams-Short....
entitled Backstage at the Big Top.
Following on from this, in August 2008, Dowling was a contestant in the Irish reality television show, Fáilte Towers
Fáilte Towers
Fáilte Towers was an RTÉ reality TV show that was broadcast as a one off during August 2008. The concept of the show involves thirteen celebrities running a hotel for sixteen days and nights in order to win money for their designated charities. The show format was not repeated nor was it exported...
, where he and 12 other celebrities had to take on the roles of hotel staff. He came second to John Creedon
John Creedon
John Creedon, also known as "Creedo", is an Irish language enthusiast and veteran broadcaster with RTÉ Radio. Host of The John Creedon Show, evenings on RTÉ Radio 1, he has also filled in for Dave Fanning on The Dave Fanning Show....
. He then went on to become a contestant on TV3's Celebrity Salon, in which he and several other Irish celebrities (Pippa O'Connor, Leigh Arnold, Virginia Macari, Celia Holman Lee
Celia Holman Lee
Celia Holman Lee is an Irish model, fashion stylist and television presenter.Celia Holman Lee started out as a model at the age of 15 while still at school after being approached while working as a shop assistant...
and Breffny Morgan) learn the tools of the beauty trade. Celebrity Salon began airing on Monday 7 June 2010. Tasks included giving facials, waxing, performing cosmetic surgery, hairdressing and styling.
He also appeared in a special episode of Come Dine with Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
, alongside three other previous winners of Big Brother and was declared winner.
Dowling was crowned Ultimate Big Brother Housemate on 10 September 2010 at the end of the Ultimate Big Brother series that saw the end of Big Brother UK's transmission on Channel Four.
Following this he has appeared as co-host alongside Katherine Lynch
Katherine Lynch
Katherine Lynch is an Irish television personality from County Leitrim.Lynch is known for several television series broadcast on RTÉ Two: Katherine Lynch's Working Girls , Katherine Lynch's Wonderwomen , in which she plays a variety of unusual characters such as Singin' Bernie Walsh, Liz Hurley and...
on the RTE2 series Wagons Den.
On 22 July 2011 it was confirmed that Dowling will be presenting the new series of Big Brother on Channel 5.
Theatre
Dowling has appeared in popular IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
pantomimes, at Dublin's Tivoli Theatre
Tivoli Theatre
Tivoli Theatre is the name of a number of notable theatres:in Asia*Tivoli Theatre , Indiain Australia*Tivoli Theatre , Australia*Tivoli Theatre , Australiain Europa*Teatro Tívoli, Barcelona, Spain...
. In December 2008-January 2009, he starred as the evil Captain Hook
Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
in Anthem Productions' presentation of Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
. Since then, Dowling has had the new character "Bridie" created for him, appearing in 2009's Cinderella and 2010's Beauty and the Beast.
External links
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