Irishman Brian Dowling will find out tonight if he's won the £70,000 first prize in Channel 4's "reality" TV show, Big Brother.
The contest is down to its last three contestants and the Ryanair air steward is being strongly tipped to win. His main competition comes from Welsh hairdresser Helen Adams.
Last night Elizabeth Woodcock was evicted, leaving only Helen and Dean O'Loughlin to battle it out with the hugely popular Irishman, who yesterday was publicly endorsed by Elton John and Graham Norton to win the prize.
The programme places 10 people in a house for a 10-week period. They are filmed 24 hours a day with edited highlights broadcast each night.
Every week two contestants are nominated for eviction by their fellow housemates, with the public, voting by telephone, deciding which nominee leaves. Dowling (23), from Rathangan, Co Kildare, has been a strong favourite to be the last remaining housemate since the series began. The Ryanair steward has impressed with his innocent charm and sharp sense of humour.
The oldest of a family of six, both BBC and ITV have indicated they would be interested in signing him up for a media career when he leaves the house. Dowling is being compared to popular gay chat show host Graham Norton, who is from Cork.
Dowling's success so far mirrors that of Irish woman Anna Nolan, who was a runner-up in last year's series. His camp effervescence has generated a cult following among the show's nightly eight million plus viewers.
There is already a tribute page on the net, www.briandowling.com and he has made, unbeknown to himself, the front cover of many magazines since the show started.
Dowling has even succeeded in attracting attention from Irish politicians. Kildare Senator Sean O Fearghail (FF), issued a statement yesterday calling on RTE to sign the Big Brother star immediately and "give new talent a chance".
Over five million votes are expected to be cast today as the public decide who wins the competition. The third-last housemate (the person with the least number of votes) will be evicted from the house at 8 p.m.
The phone lines will then reopen and the winner will be announced at 10.30 p.m. People in the Republic are able to vote in the competition. If you want Brian Dowling to win, telephone 1540 717002.
