Big Brother’s ‘Nasty Nick’ Vanished Abroad—You Won’t Believe His Transformation 25 Years Later
Isn’t it wild to imagine a time in pop culture when posting your deepest thoughts to the world didn’t involve TikTok dances or applying the perfect vintage filter on Instagram? Before “influencers” were a thing and “going viral” sounded like a trip to the school nurse, there was Big Brother—inviting us to watch total strangers eat, sleep, and (occasionally) plot like Machiavellian chessmasters, all on national TV. If you remember the year 2000 as more than a distant Wikipedia entry, you’ll recall that Channel 4’s Big Brother was nothing short of a social experiment gone deliciously sideways.
At the heart of it all? ‘Nasty Nick’ Bateman—every marketing exec’s dream and every housemate’s worst nightmare. He managed to redefine sneaky, orchestrating nominations with the cool calculation of a city banker (well… he was one before Big Brother, after all), while somehow dodging eviction like Neo in The Matrix. The result? Watercooler gossip, tabloid-mania, and a sudden nationwide obsession with watching other people eat Pot Noodles.
Now, two and a half decades later—unbelievable!—the 22nd season has dropped, and I can’t help but ask: Are we still hooked on the original drama, or is reality TV too busy chasing clout to remember what made it so compelling in the first place? Has the age of content creators changed the game for good, or do we secretly long for the raw, unpredictable chaos of Nasty Nick’s heyday? If you’re as fascinated as I am by the original Big Brother puppetmaster—and how he’s managed to keep reinventing himself long after the cameras stopped rolling—dive in.
The 22nd season of Big Brother aired at the end of September and as fans have been tuning in, it’s worth reflecting on its first-ever instalment which launched 25 years ago.
Back in 2000, before TikTok and Instagram, the reality TV series debuted on Channel 4 to great success and would run annually until 2018, before resuming again in 2023.
One of the star contestants of the show’s inaugural season was a man known as ‘Nasty Nick’, who appeared to manipulate the other housemates and had a hand in their nominations before the house caught on and confronted him.
Real name Nick Bateman, the Brit was a broker before appearing on Big Brother, where he became someone who viewers couldn’t stop talking about.
‘Nasty Nick’ ruffled a lot of feathers in the Big Brother house (Channel 4)
He helped to put the concept of reality TV into the mainstream, despite being ejected by the show’s producers after 34 days for influencing several nominations and cheating during voting, after becoming the only contestant never to receive a single nomination for eviction.
Despite being remembered for his sneaky mannerisms, Bateman, now 57, lives a very different life from the one he had when he appeared on the show, a quarter of a century ago.
He’s now changed his name and moved across the world to Australia, admitting that he’s reverted to his real name of Jack while also sporting a new look, appearing completely different to the man we saw on screens all those years ago.
Speaking to Heart Bingo about his new quiet life and his ‘nasty’ reputation back in the UK, Bateman claimed that he had no regrets at all as it resulted in him moving to Australia, which he ‘wouldn’t change for the world’.
He said: “I think everything happens for a reason. I’m a great believer in pre-destination and in making decisions and then being responsible for that. So, yeah, I wouldn’t change it.”
Bateman added that he ‘fell in love’ with the land down under at a young age, calling the country ‘so progressive’, as ‘you can start your life again at any age and reinvent yourself’.
He looks a lot different nowadays (Instagram/nicholasbateman1)
“People are just happy and smiling. There’s fresh air and better food and no animosity from other people,” Bateman said of Australia.
“I’m happier here than I would be anywhere else. I won’t go back to England.”
Now, the former reality star works in marketing, sales, and promotions for companies.
He’s also known for his past relationship with fashion magazine writer Lynnette Peck, with the pair kickstarting Lovely’s Vintage Emporium, which would find success in women’s fashion after he parted ways with the business.
He would also reportedly split from Peck after eight years together.
Speaking of Big Brother today, he said: “It’s nearing the point where either the channel has to accept something isn’t working or they have to go back to the original producers.”
Bateman even suggested casting the show without telling contestants what it was, claiming that it’s being used as a launchpad by some to start careers in social media careers, adding that it’s ‘lost its identity’.
“They need to go back to basics with normal people, a stripped-back house, and the original tasks,” the Big Brother alumni suggested.
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