‘I help start Big Brother boos – housemates shouldn’t be offended’-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

The Big Brother fandom take eviction nights seriously (Picture: Sofi Adam/Shutterstock for Big Brother)

Big Brother has made a triumphant return to our living rooms, and along with the housemates, there is another batch of people who contribute to the success of the series – the superfans.

The committed viewers approach the series like jury duty, never missing an episode and taking to social media to present their opinions providing their ‘evidence’ for why they feel that way.

The evictions every Friday night is their weekly highlight, and they even have an influence over what we see, or more specifically hear, when we’re watching from the safety of our living rooms.

Lewis Loman is a regular in the eviction crowd and enjoys getting involved in the chants.

Over the course of the ITV series, we’ve clearly heard everything from ‘Get Kerry out’ to ‘Trish for the Win.’

Revealing how hundreds of people end up as in sync as a choir on Songs of Praise Lewis shared with Metro.co.uk: ‘It usually begins in the queue. I’ll get talking to other fans, and we’ll discuss what we’d like to chant.

Lewis is a regular at the evictions

‘We all look at each other when the cameras start rolling and then we begin, and lots of others will join.

‘It feels good to be part of it. In that moment you know people agree with you, and you’re not the only angry one. It’s exciting.’

Initially, Lewis recalls that the crowd was encouraged to stay positive, but the fans had other ideas. Despite the sometimes negative nature of the chants, and booing, Lewis believes that housemates need to take anything the crowd shouts with a pinch of salt.

‘I get where people are coming from with their criticism of the chanting because obviously, it wouldn’t be nice for family and friends to be hearing that but at the same time, 95% of the time housemates are going to be booed, even if they are nice housemates. Housemates should know that when they sign up for the show.

‘It is pantomime. Just because I’m shouting to get someone out it doesn’t mean that I despise them. I just want them out of the show.

Housemates shouldn’t take the chants too seriously (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother)

‘When I’m watching at home, I always wonder what the audience is gonna be chanting. When I’m there I do try to give it a bit more atmosphere and make it exciting for those home viewers.’

Lewis sets firm rules for himself to ensure that he doesn’t take things too far: ‘I wasn’t Kerry’s biggest fan but I know she’s a real person.

‘I like all the housemates really, that’s why I watch it because I’m fascinated by all these people. So although I tweet my opinions I wouldn’t ever be rude or nasty about anyone.’

Lewis is grateful to Big Brother and credits the series for shaping his life – he has made friends through the series – he met one bestie on X, formerly Twitter, and now holidays with her – and has craved a social media presence, regularly hosting chats with fellow fans, and his verdicts often getting thousands of likes.

Alongside his boyfriend, Lewis is re-watching all the old series again to bring back the nostalgic feels. ‘It wouldn’t be a deal-breaker if my boyfriend didn’t like Big Brother, but it helps,’ remarked Lewis, who works in social media marketing.

‘My mum was the original fan, and then I started watching with her.

Gemma’s eviction was Lewis’ first (Picture: PA)

‘It was always part of my childhood. When I was at primary school I didn’t know what was going on properly but I was obsessed. From age seven, I’d print out pictures of the housemates, and stick them on my door. When someone was evicted I would print out a grey version to replace their coloured one.

‘My mum would go to evictions, and I’d watch the show with my dad at home, and try to spot her. When I was old enough we’d go to evictions together,’ he fondly remembered.

‘My first one was Gemma Collins. I started attending the majority of them after that.

‘What is special is the interaction when they go live to the house. The crowd goes crazy and you feel like you can almost communicate with the housemates a little bit.’

Rylan gave Lewis a guided tour

Having such an intense connection to the series meant Lewis was gutted when Big Brother was dropped by Channel 5 in 2018.

‘I cried,’ he stated.

‘I was invited to have a tour of the house with Rylan along with six other super fans, which softened the blow a little.

‘I didn’t think it would be back, so when I heard the rumours I was ecstatic.

‘Big Brother has been a huge part of my life in so many different ways. I don’t think people realise how much it actually means to me,’ he passionately declared.

‘There is no better reality show. You get to know these everyday normal people for eight weeks. It challenges misconceptions. I have trans friends, who loved seeing something as confident as Hallie on the series. That is important.

‘When Henry introduced himself as loving Boris Johnson I didn’t think I would like him, but he’s become one of my favorites. That’s the magic of the show.’

The Big Brother cast have kept the fandom entertained (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

Another huge fan is GDave, real name Georgia, who has adapted her life to ensure she keeps thoroughly up to date with the series.

Every night, she tunes into the daily livestream in order to write comprehensive notes on the housemates’ antics.

‘I write notes on every single bit of dialogue. I’ve currently got a document with over 11,500 words on it,’ she shared.

GDave has written detailed summaries for every live stream (Picture: GDave)

Her commitment to the task is honourable – she ensures she stays awake between 11pm and 2am by drinking plenty of coffee and eating snacks, while she has also turned down social plans in order to never miss a second.

‘I do feel as though I have a responsibility to people who have indicated they rely on the summaries and look forward to reading them, but it is not a burden.

‘I look forward to seeing conversation that ensues from people reading them,’ said GDave.

She is grateful that the task has given her purpose during a gap in employment.

‘I am currently in between jobs which is why I am able to dedicate time to watching the stream and providing updates.

‘This has definitely given me a focus. I am a creative person so being able to put that to use in presenting the summaries in a way that looks nice has been great for me.

‘The feedback has been incredible! So many people say they read my summary like the morning news. I’ve had messages saying people like the way it is presented which makes me feel valued.’

Like Lewis, GDave has also found friendship in the fandom. While Friday may signal the end of Big Brother, she already has plans to keep in touch with her new pals and they’ve got something else on the horizon.

‘We’re gearing up for I’m a Celebrity next,’ she teased.

The sisters are committed to Big Brother

Sisters Shay, Kay, and Annamay’s primary job is being part of the girl band SHiiKANE, but they are also passionate about reality TV – Big Brother is naturally their current obsession.

Every night, they share opinions on X throughout the duration of the episode, and post videos on YouTube and Facebook after Late and Live of them discussing the evening’s episode. They even kept up with their output while on a work trip to Atlanta.

‘What I love about Big Brother is that it’s a heightened reflection of society. It holds a microscope up to it. I think that that’s the reason why it’s so polarising because people get triggered when they watch it for various reasons,’ explained Kay.

They particularly enjoy the editing of the series, and how it’s allowed fully-formed narratives that find can be amiss in other programmes.

‘Trish is the first black female contestant on a reality show that has actually been shown as a whole person,’ said Shay.

They enjoyed watching Trish(Credits: James Veysey/Shutterstock)

‘She is somebody that can be fun, somebody that can be loving, somebody that can be a big sister, or somebody can be mad. It’s not just a one-track character, which I find is usually the case with black female characters due to editing,’ added Kay.

‘We’ve seen issues with how black women can be treated in the series, and what is lovely about Big Brother is we’re now discussing it outside of the show.

‘We have many different kinds of people following us, and they’re being responsive to what we’re saying. We’ve had white women say “You’re teaching me to look at things differently”. We really appreciate that we’ve got loads of people watching our videos and taking notes.

‘I’ve got to give a shout-out to the gay men on Twitter too who run a lot of the fan pages, and they just get it. They’re helping give a comfortable face to a lot of the difficult discussions that we’re having,’ said Shay.

‘There’s a real sense of community in the Big Brother fandom,’ mused Annamay.

‘I feel like Love Island and other reality shows just don’t have the same thing. This feels really personal, and like the fans really come together.’

Big Brother finale airs tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITV.

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