[Red Moon]

Big Bruv's Bleak House
By SARA NATHAN?TV Editor

06 January 2006

THESE are the contestants who entered telly’s Celebrity Big Brother house last night.


The grim group includes shamed Michael Barrymore, transvestite Eighties pop singer Pete Burns and controversial MP George Galloway.


All will battle it out over the next three and half weeks in the hit Channel 4 reality show.
Galloway is using his stint in the house to raise money for a Palestinian charity.


The Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in East London is set to donate both his £60,000 fee and his share from the show’s voter phonelines to Interpal.

The British organisation sends aid to “the poor and needy of Palestine”.

Left-winger Galloway, 51, famously held meetings with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Last night Channel 4 tried to defend signing the politician, saying: “His position as an MP does not preclude him being a housemate.

He will not be allowed to use his time in the house as a political soapbox.”

In his BB biography, Galloway said his greatest fear about going into the house was finding Tony Blair as a housemate.

He said: “I wouldn’t like to carry out the first live throttling of a British PM on TV.”

BB host Davina McCall also revealed the MP’s main loves are “his daughter, sunbathing and sex”.

Galloway joins gay Barrymore, 53 — the one-time king of British telly — whose appearance marked his small-screen return after four years.

The comic is aiming to put his career back on track following his sacking by ITV after reveller Stuart Lubbock drowned in the pool at his home in 2001. ?
?Barrymore fled to New Zealand with lover Shaun Davis.

Speaking earlier, he said he had “no expectations” about the reality show.

He bragged: “If certain people want to call it a comeback, they can call it a comeback but I haven’t been away.”

Last night it emerged that cops investigating 31-year-old Stuart’s death will follow up any new leads that may result from Barrymore’s TV stint.

The funnyman’s advisers have banned him discussing the tragedy. ?
?But Essex Police pledged to re-open the investigation if new clues emerge.

Also in the house are singer Burns, glamour girl Jodie Marsh, Baywatch beauty Traci Bingham and Sven Goran Eriksson’s ex-lover Faria Alam. ??
Faria was roundly booed but she kept her head down and made a beeline for the house.

She was joined by Dennis Waterman’s ex Rula Lenska, cross-dressing basketball star Dennis Rodman and two musicians — Preston from The Ordinary Boys and Maggot from rappers Goldie Lookin’ Chain.

Jodie — who carried a vanity case into the house to a mixture of boos and cheers — is the bookies’ favourite to win the show at 4-1.

An early twist to the show was unknown blonde contestant Chantelle Houghton, who was given a secret mission to convince housemates she was a celeb — or face eviction.

The 22-year-old, from Wickford, Essex, was given her secret assignment in the diary room.

Chantelle — a double for Paris Hilton — was told to pose as a pop star in a band.

Meanwhile, Traci revealed: “I may have issues because I like to sleep in the nude.”

Er, no problem, Trace.

Source: The SUN