July 6th 2024.
It seems like we might have another politician joining the cast of a reality show. Continuing with the trend of politicians appearing on reality shows, a member of the Conservative Party who recently lost his seat in the General Election has playfully inquired about the status of Big Brother's casting process.
Brendan Clarke-Smith, who served as an MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire, was defeated by his opponent Jo White by nearly 6,000 votes on Thursday. After his loss, Mr. Clarke-Smith jokingly threw his name into the ring for the upcoming series of the popular ITV show.
In response to a tweet from The Sun's political editor, which stated that Big Brother was searching for a "big political name" to join this year's cast, Mr. Clarke-Smith humorously asked if they were still looking for contestants. He even quipped that the hyphen in his surname makes it a "big name."
Before his defeat, Mr. Clarke-Smith held several positions within the Conservative Party, including deputy chairman under Rishi Sunak and parliamentary secretary for the Cabinet Office. However, he received 12,708 votes in this election, while Ms. White, who is also the deputy leader of Bassetlaw Council, received 18,476.
This week, several prominent Tories and former members of Mr. Sunak's cabinet, including Grant Shapps, Liz Truss, Penny Mordaunt, and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, lost their seats.
It has been reported that Big Brother producers have already approached Red Wall Mayor Ben Houchen, but he turned down the offer. Meanwhile, the show is set to return to screens this autumn, with applications closing later this month for the next group of housemates.
After a five-year hiatus, Big Brother was acquired by ITV in 2023 and made a highly anticipated comeback, with AJ Odudu and Will Best as hosts. The revival series was ultimately won by ex-lawyer Jordan Sangha, who took home a prize of £100,000. Then, in early 2024, Celebrity Big Brother returned with a star-studded cast, including Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, and Fern Britton. However, it was Ibiza Weekender's David Potts who emerged as the winner, beating out other notable contestants such as Nikita Kuzmin and Colson Smith.
There were initial concerns that the show might follow the lead of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! by recruiting controversial political figures. While this did not come to fruition, Kate Middleton's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, created quite a stir during his time on Celebrity Big Brother.
Reform party leader Nigel Farage also made headlines when he appeared on I'm A Celeb last year, placing third. Many viewers have since speculated that his popularity on the show may have contributed to his party's success in this year's election, where they gained five seats.
And who can forget former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's surprise appearance on I'm A Celeb in 2022, after being fired for breaking lockdown rules? It seems like reality shows have become a popular platform for politicians to revive their careers.
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