AddThis SmartLayers

Star celebrates with Craig

The Shropshire Star is celebrating a successful campaign to help keep one man locked in a house for 10 weeks with no contact with the outside world.

The Star supported their local lad Craig Phillips, a builder from Newport, in the hit TV and internet show Big Brother which captivated the nation this summer.

One house mate was eliminated each week and with a little help from the Star, whose daily updates urged their readers to vote for Craig, he walked off with the £70,000 prize last weekend watched by 10 million viewers.

Throughout the campaign the paper kept in close contact with Craig’s family and friends including Jo Harris the Down’s Syndrome teenager who is appealing for £250,000 to send her to America for a life-saving heart and lung transplant.

It was the Star that exclusively revealed that if he won, Craig would give all the prize money to the 18-year-old’s appeal.

The paper produced two four-page specials devoted entirely to Craig, one of which was distributed at his fitness centre where a party was being held on the night of the final decision. On Saturday morning a special team of reporters, photographers and subs started work at 5.30am to produce another four-page special for readers to celebrate Craig’s win.

The Star also produced life-size cardboard cut-outs which it displayed in Shrewsbury, Telford and his home town Newport. Two reporters, Lucy Hynes and Maria Cusine were assigned to the project and they attended the eviction nights with Craig’s family.

“It was a real team effort, everybody was up for it,” the paper’s assistant editor Jon Simcock told HoldTheFrontPage. “It captured everyone’s imagination. Our readers’ response has been terrific. People have been writing in and congratulating us on the coverage.

“It was a perfect campaign for us. We backed him as our local lad in the competition and urged our readers to do the same. It was a bonus that such a good cause should also benefit. Craig’s family have been great and they gave us access to the family album.

“When he had his showdown with “Naughty Nick” it became clear that Craig was going to be a major player in the programme. Our readers were gripped by the whole thing. Craig gave us a name-check at the press conference after he’d won so he obviously appreciated our efforts.”

Back to the campaigns index

Do you have a story for us?
Ring the HoldTheFrontPage newsdesk on
01332 291111 x6022, or e-mail us now