Big Brother is in full swing. There have been tears, fighting, snogging (and some), laughs… and people sitting around bored. Big Brother 8 has been unusual in that, this year more than ever, the housemates have all been very aware of the fact that they’re on TV. Previous years have seen housemates slowly forget, and thus, eased up and shown us their real selves. However, the fronts haven’t been dropped on BB8 as everyone is still hamming it up and keeping one eye on their ‘public profile’.

With that, have our opinions changed at all since week1? Of course, some opinions are firmly steadfast. “Big Brother is tosh and I’ll have nothing to do with it”. Fair enough, but for those who have watched it? It seems like years ago when the house kicked off with a girls only house, an Ziggy started the drip feed of testosterone. The best way to see how I’ve changed is by looking back at the live blog I did on the very first showing of BB8…

The twins, Sam and Amanda, entered the house as a gruesome fuschia twosome. Immediately dubbing them as “destined for Nuts magazine. Nipple to nipple.” Note, that my “everyone universally loathes them! Brilliant!” was inspired by the loud booing that greeted them. Strange that, the most immediately repulsive pair could soften up and actually turn into reasonably entertaining people. As dim and vile as they are, they actually seem alright and wouldn’t (couldn’t if they tried?) hurt a fly.

Then we had Lesley. My first impression of Lesley, was that she had “a face that says “I want to die”.” As first impressions go, it was pretty spot on as Lesley, having no fun with morons, decided to leg it from the house and back into reasonable conversation. It was obvious that Lesley wouldn’t last. I mean, what could she get out of the BB experience? New friends? Money? She hardly needed either of those from the BB house did she? Unlike our Charley…

Charley obviously needs all the friends and easy money she can get. The odious and repulsive Charley has somehow managed to make herself more unpopular than OSama Bin Laden. Recently, I merely thought of Charley’s face, and a dozen people surrounded me, booing and hitting me with home made signs that said “GET CHARLEY OUT” and “CHARLEY MAKES GOOD TV BUT I STILL LIKE BOOING HER”. MY first call on Charley was “BOO HER BOO HER BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HER!” Oddly, my request was answered as, since week 1, the nation hasn’t stopped booing her. My feelings on Charley are much the same. She’s vacuous and needy of the wrong kinds of attention. She needs help… and if not, a slap will suffice.

Tracey appeared on our screens to little fanfare. Her announcement to the world was shouting things like “AVE IT!” and “PHAT!” I said, “possibly goes to Glasto every year and annoys even hardened festival goers,” whilst simultaneously “channelling Bez”. “A blonde girl from Yorkshire who loves Victoria Beckham. She talks far too much and is called Chanelle,” arrived and we first saw the pout of Chanelle. Initially, I thought that she was the “new Kate Lawler.” How wrong I was. Where Kate Lawler annoyed me by speaking and breathing, Chanelle, or Flan-nelle, has been the dippiest person ever to grace a screen. She’s Mavis from Coronation Street trapped inside Suzanne Shaw’s body.

Shabnam was easy to read. She thought she was wacky, which to me, meant “that she’s got a million hang-ups but covers it with lurid clothes and keeeerrrraaaazy eye shadow.” She was obviously a very needy girl with no discernable talent and overcompensated with volume and teeth. Emily went in looking like a fox hunter in a Libertines T-shirt and came out looking like a very foolish posh girl with no clue of the real world… a bit like a fox hunter in a Libertines T-shirt.

Laura went into the house looking a bit like a village idiot. She confessed to sweeping up leaves at the local graveyard for free and talked so fast the her Welsh came out sounding like Martian. Universally loved on the way into the house, Laura defied us by turning into a sour-faced grump, slagging off everyone she’d ever come across.

Nicky has been a non-mover. I felt that she looked as “awkward as a horse on a see-saw.” Before noting that “the sour faced glum bucket ends her VT with “Do I look miserable?”.” Well, the past 8 weeks have seen Nicky being nothing but miserble.

Carole, resident mum to the BB8 house, started off (in my eyes as ) “a gobby nightmare who wants us all to ‘drop beats not bombs’.” Amazingly, Carole is still in the house. I felt that she’d be up for the chop pretty sharpish, what with her not being a younger contestant (this is the way it seems to work). Carole, despite her whinging, has provided good value on the occasion and for me has been the biggest surprise.

There is no written record of my first impressions of the chaps who now find themselves in there (as I didn’t blog it), but Ziggy has lived up to expectations, although, shown himself to be far weaker than imagined. Brian is Brian is Brian. An enigma. A fool. A gent. If he doesn’t win this year, there is something wrong with the world. Gerry, Seany, Liam and that bloke who’s mum died (I can’t recall his name!) were all pretty blokey in their own unique way… but really, this year has been all about the women hasn’t it? Hasn’t it?