Brian Dowling
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Brian Dowling attending the 2005 Glamour Awards. |
Brian Dowling (born
13th June 1978) was the winner of the
second series of the British
reality TV show
Big Brother in
2001.
Before he became famous, Dowling, from
Ireland, trained as a holiday rep and air steward. He
came out to his parents only two weeks before appearing on
Big Brother.
Brian went on to presenting
SMTV Live, becoming the first openly
homosexual children's television presenter. He also went on to present his own show on
ITV,
Brian's Boyfriends, as well as narrating the
Channel 4 reality show
The Salon.
In
2002, Brian co-hosted the prestigious
Elle Style Awards with
Radio 1 presenter
Jo Whiley. His impact on the world of fashion didn't end there, when he was snapped up by the team behind the popular
Clothes Show Live in
2003 to join
Duncan James and
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in presenting the
Now Magazine Style Awards feature of the annual event, where he won the award from
Most Stylish UK TV Personality.Also in
2003, Brian was given the honour of being the host for the first ever
First Light Film Awards in
London.
Brian regularly stands in for
Liz Bonnin on
LivingTV's
Celebrity Extra show. He has also voiced numerous adverts and TV series
Trolley Dollies, and has presented the companion show to
I'm Famous and Frightened!. In
2005, he had a short role in a new spinoff drama from
Footballers' Wives.
Brian was also voted the number 1 UK
Big Brother housemate in the first five years of the show, in an official vote conducted by
Channel 4. The countdown was broadcast on
E4 and
Channel 4 in
May 2005.
In
July 2005, Brian fronted the
Party in the Park concert in
Leeds with
Coronation Streets Nikki Sanderson. He then went on to front the Irish O2 in the Park
concert, in Phoenix Park, Dublin, alongside Fran Cosgrave and Caroline Morahan in August 2005.
Currently, Brian is hosting a showbiz slot on Vernon Kay's BBC Radio 1 Saturday morning show.
Brian was chosen in September 2005 to represent SMTV Live, which he co-hosted from January 2002 to July 2003, in ITV's 50th Anniversary celebrations on a special edition of Saturday morning children's entertainment show, Ministry of Mayhem.
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Brian (bottom row, centre) with other presenters of The Mint. |
In October 2005, Brian presented a series of special Christmas features as part of Sky Digital's Interactive platform programming, titled Christmas Wrapped Up
, in which Dowling reviewed and helped to promote products that were available for purchase in the shopping areas of Sky Digital's Sky Active service.
Brian presented the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards 2005, with ' presenter Myleene Klass in November 2005.
Brian was reintroduced as a presenter on ITV in April 2006 when the network launched its ITV Play subsidiary. Along with six others, Brian was signed up as a presenter of the network's interactive telephone show, The Mint.''
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Official Brian Dowling webite*
Brian's profile at itv.com
