Craig Phillips has stepped in as Genie at the Thameside Theatre pantomime to replace Brian Belo. who has left the production for personal reasons.
Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for Communities, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Lynn Worrall, said: “We are pleased to welcome Craig to the Thameside panto – we hope he has a good time making wishes come true!”
Craig won the hearts of the nation in 2000 when he won the first ever Big Brother on Channel 4 with 3.7 million votes, £70,000 prize money and a national television award for Best Live Television Moment of the Year.
Craig famously donated his entire winnings to childhood friend and Down’s Syndrome sufferer Joanne Harris. Within six days of leaving the show, he had raised ￡250,000 to pay for her life-saving heart and lung transplant.
With his new-found fame, Craig went on to combine his knowledge of construction and media savvy to forge a brilliant career as one of the UK’s leading DIY and home improvement experts.
Presenting and producing over 850 DIY and home improvement shows for major broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, Sky One, UKTV Style and Discovery Realtime, Craig has reached millions of viewers throughout Europe and as far afield as Korea, New Zealand and the USA.
Presenting on over 850 TV shows across the globe, some of Craig’s TV credits include:
60 Minute Makeover, ITV1
House Call, BBC1
Our House, UK Style
Boyz in the wood, Discovery Realtime
Hung Drawn & Quartered, British Forces Broadcasting Service
Builders, Sweat and Tears, BBC1 & UK Style
Trading Up, BBC1 & UK Style
Big Strong Boys, BBC1 & UK Style
Conversion, Discovery Realtime
Renovation Street, ITV1 & Discovery Realtime
Craig’s Trade Tips, BBC1
House Trap, BBC1
He has also made guest appearances on some of the most popular shows on TV including This Morning, The Weakest Link, A Question of Sport and Children in Need to name but a few.
Oh no it isnt, Oh yes it is…….Ah that Craig!!!! wondered what had happend to him, not been on the box for so long……………
How very disappointing, I was really looking forward to seeing him. Brian and Craig have completely different personalities, did the script have to be rewritten I wonder. I could imagine Brian in the panto he is a true extrovert, whereas Craig appears to be quite normal and not one for fooling around so much. Oh well; I wish Craig all the best and am sure he will do a great job.