It might not have been a vintage year for the programme but the sixth series of Big Brother did at least boast a winner from the North East. Anthony Hutton from Consett in County Durham, a 1970s dancer, told the show’s presenter Davina McCall: ‘I haven’t got the vocabulary to describe how I feel but I feel absolutely mint.’
Almost seven million people watched the final, more than the number of people who had tuned in to see the Live 8 concerts a month earlier on BBC One. Over a million pounds changed hands as bets were placed before the final and it was Hutton who walked away with £50,000. A dancer, Hutton went on to star in Christmas Panto in Darlington and released a keep fit DVD called Anthony’s 70’s Disco Workout and Council leader, Alex Watson said: ‘Anthony has certainly put Consett on the map.’
Since the programme first aired in 2000, Big Brother had become a huge hit, sometimes attracting almost half the available TV audience, and it was proving particularly popular with the demographic that was increasingly hard to attract – young men and women. Advertisers loved it because the under-30s relished the programme, even if the reason why it was a hit wasn’t always clear. What had started as a fairly sober ‘social experiment’ became an entertainment phenomenon showing ‘ordinary’ people chosen, it seemed, for displaying ever more eccentric behaviour. Despite column inches condemning the programme, its appeal was clear. One online fan summed it up: ‘Because every person can show his talents and get easy fame.’
Easy fame was the promise not just of Big Brother but other reality shows such as Pop Idol and X Factor. However as ‘talent’ shows contestants were expected to have some skills – even though it was those with least talent that often provided the greatest entertainment. It was Big Brother that fostered the greatest novel idea, that being ‘ordinary’ was a gift in itself, as the meteoric rise of the show’s 2003 contestant, Jade Goody, had shown.
From being pilloried by the press, and voted ‘fourth worst Briton’ in a Channel 4 poll, Jade went on to publish an autobiography, create a best-selling perfume, make over £2m and by 2007 was ranked twenty-fifth in a poll of the most influential people in the world by Heat magazine. Such transformations were possible, and it seemed that an audience would cheer on those exposed in the media who were willing to unashamedly share their life story.
Raoul Moat gave little thought to Anthony Hutton that year however, as he had more to worry about. He had been stopped by the police as he drove a Mitsubishi Colt through Newcastle, although the vehicle wasn’t his. Officers searched the car and discovered a cobra-headed Samurai sword in the boot and a twin-bladed knuckleduster hidden beneath the dashboard.
Moat admitted that the sword belonged to him but denied knowing anything about the knuckleduster. When the case came to court, the accused said that the sword was in the car as he was on his way to try and sell the weapon, deciding to get rid of it because his daughter didn’t like the snake detailing on it. He said: ‘She does not like snakes, so I wanted to get rid of it.’
The daughter he was referring to was one from his previous relationship with Marissa. The couple were not on good terms but Moat still maintained contact with his girls. One friend spoke of Moat’s devotion to them saying that he ‘lived for his children’. The same man spoke of Raoul’s faults but saw the best in him, talking of the good times that they enjoyed, working together and ‘getting wrecked off our nuts’. The pictures that would later appear to show Moat in a woman’s dress was one result of such a night out. Raoul’s friend explained that they had all messed around, attempting to make each other laugh by performing increasingly daft antics. The Raoul Moat that would come to dominate the headlines was not a man he recognised.
How the two men met however, is telling. The man, let’s call him John, and his girlfriend were kept awake over many nights by a neighbour playing loud music. Eventually, John lost his patience and told the nuisance neighbour that if it wasn’t turned down, he’d rip the sound system from the wall. It was turned down, for thirty minutes. Hearing it at full volume again, John entered the flat, only to find that his neighbour had clearly called for back-up in the form of two very large men, one of whom was Moat. John had made the threat to pull the player from the wall and knew that he couldn’t back down. There was ‘an altercation’ but John had made his point. He could not be seen to capitulate.
Some time later, after moving, John found that he and Moat were neighbours and, through a mutual acquaintance, they met and it was a start of their friendship. He knew about the arrest over the sword but also spoke of Moat’s deteriorating relationships with the authorities.
It was said that after Chantelle fell out of the window, he had threatened council workers who fitted window locks to his property, a claim Moat denied. He went on record saying: ‘In my line of work you lose your job if you’re abusive or lash out, so you learn how to control your temper.’
The police were another matter. John believes that Moat was subject to unfair attention, claiming that he knew of a number of occasions when his friend was pulled over by police and also that when his own car was parked on the street without a valid tax disc, he wasn’t ticketed, whereas Moat’s vehicles were.
The impression may well have been a false one but it was enough for Moat to vocalise his irritation with authority. He felt he was being singled out and by the time he moved with Sam to a new area, he wanted to ensure that he would not be misrepresented again. He would install CCTV cameras and begin to tape conversations. That way, he’d have proof of exactly what was going on.
It was another attempt to gain control over a life he sometimes felt was slipping through his hands. It was hard enough to keep his head above water and keep his relationship with Sam on track but then Sam had news that he was sure would mean a fresh start. She was pregnant. He was thrilled to learn that he’d be a father again and this time, he was adamant that everything would change. He would change, life would change. It would all be good.
He wanted to find a new home for them but another thought had taken hold too. He wanted his other daughters to live under his roof, not Marissa’s. It would mean a bitter custody dispute but he was willing to fight for control over his girls.
Marissa has since spoken of the months that led up to the decision as to where the girls should live and has said that Raoul would stop at nothing to get his way. She said: ‘I have been accused of dealing drugs, keeping guns and neglecting my children, but it was all lies. Raoul painted the worst possible picture of me and people believed that I was a terrible mother.’ Marissa sensed that the tide was turning against her and felt that Moat was determined to destroy her. She claimed that the police arrived at her home searching for drugs and firearms after an anonymous caller suggested that she had these items hidden at her property. Even the RSPCA were called after a tip-off that she might be mistreating her dog.
At the heart of the conflict Marissa believed that Moat was behaving as he was in a desire to make her life a misery. She claims that even after they had separated, he made threats against her life, should she start dating anyone else.
Moat knew what a childhood could be like growing up without a father and he was adamant that he would remain a central figure in his children’s lives. He also knew how fragile relationships could be, as he had not been in touch with his brother or mother for some time. He had drifted away from them and did not know when he’d have cause to speak to them again. Well aware of other people’s circumstances however, Moat knew that his situation was not that uncommon.
A lot of those he came across grew up without a parent, or had children that they didn’t see because of conflict with an ex, or by simply because they lost touch. It was common for relationships to break down, he realised, it was just the way it was and there was no point in complaining. Moat reasoned that he would just have to get to grips with it all. In his mind it was simple. His children would all live with him and he and Sam would complete the family he had always wanted.