[Locke.]

THE winner of the first series of Big Brother last night admitted that the long-running reality show has had its day - and "should end now".

Builder Craig Phillips said he could understand why fans are switching off in their droves, as there is nowhere left for the programme to go.

The Scouse builder triumphed in the first series of the show in 2000, drawing nearly four million votes.

But series ten has struggled to draw in audiences of more than two million - around 1.5million less than last year - despite the best efforts of blondes Sophie and Karly.

Craig, 37, told TV Biz: "I would like to see it end now. I know they've got a licence for an 11th series, but whether it should come back next year is another matter."

And he said that bosses desperately needed to liven up the Channel 4 show.

He explained: "It's difficult for the producers to do anything that hasn't been seen before. You can't change what the format of the show is - all bosses can do is to introduce tasks and take contestants in and out.

"But those are all the usual tactics. It needs another flavour to it to make it work, a surprise element to spice it up."

Craig won the nation's hearts after his showdown with "Nasty" Nick Bateman on BB1.

And he said that it was vital that the producers pull out all the stops if this series is to be the last - making it "all singing, all dancing, with sparks flying everywhere". He added: "It would be good to end on a high."

But Craig - who is currently working on a DIY project with internet search engine Ask Jeeves - added that producers have discussed the possibility of getting all the past BB champs to come together for next year's show.

He said: "I think it would be a nice way to go if it was a short charity series - it would be the icing on the top of the cake."

Although Craig is worth £5million, he claimed some of the eight other previous winners are skint.

He said: "More than half aren't working and they are struggling for money and can't pay the bills. They're on a downer now.

"They were in the public eye, getting money for magazine deals and personal appearances and now they're not, so it's really difficult.

"People think going on Big Brother will set them up for life and open lots of windows - but it doesn't always work like that."

He also called for stronger vetting of contestants for reality shows after Britain's Got Talent singer Susan Boyle's recent meltdown.

Craig said an executive decision should have been made about whether the 48-year-old spinster could cope with fame after her audition was filmed.

He said: "Someone should have said, 'Wait a minute, we've seen pop stars go off the rails - is this middle-aged lady with learning difficulties really strong enough or stable enough to do it?'"

Craig added that he thought the Scottish virgin would not have made it past Big Brother's psychological tests if she had applied.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...B-end-now.html