Following his big win on Big Brother in 2001, Brian Dowling has become a permanent feature on our television screens, hosting various shows, including Big Brother itself and Celebrity Big Brother. Dowling is now returning to Ireland to host a Saturday night quiz show on TV3, Sitting on a Fortune. We sat down with Brian to talk about how he felt about the new show and his past work.
Sitting on a Fortune is a play-along entertainment show which will see players earn money for doing absolutely nothing. Three couples will sit in pairs on iconic seats over three rounds, where each couple must get up off their seats to solve a puzzle – but there’s a catch… As each pair is solving a puzzle, they are against the clock which counts up in euros and cents, increasing the money going to the other players sitting down. Dowling is particularly excited about the project: “It’s a fantastic format, really energetic and exciting and it allows me as a presenter to have a lot of interaction and fun with the contestants.”
Things changed dramatically for Brian when he won Big Brother in 2001: “I’m not working for Ryanair anymore so it’s certainly changed things for me in a big way! I’m very lucky. Professionally, it opened the doors for me to be a television presenter and be involved in some amazing television shows over the years and obviously including Sitting On A Fortune which I’m so excited about.
However, Big Brother had an impact on Brian personally too: “It made me feel accepted. Winning it twice was amazing and people who watched the show have always been very supportive and lovely.”
In 2011, Brian was picked as the presenter for Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother, an opportunity that he absolutely loved: “It was a massive opportunity for me to step into Davina’s shoes and host 6 series of the show which were all a total joy to do.”
Even though he is mostly concentrating on the new series at the moment, Brian has a couple of ideas of things he would like to work on: “This new series is going to keep me busy for now but I love to work on anything where I can be myself and have fun! And laugh… I want to do something with Narinder (Big Brother contestant 2001). She is crazy!”
Brian has always had a soft spot in his heart for reality shows: “I really love reality television and reality shows. All of them. And I especially love it when people on reality shows go crazy!”
However, he certainly knows which quiz show would be his favourite: “Strike It Lucky. Bring it back! I will happily host it too!”
Sitting on a Fortune will air on TV3 later this year.
