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.