British 'Big Brother' prize claimed by builder

LONDON, England -- The British version of the hit television game show "Big Brother" has been won by a 28-year-old builder from Liverpool.

Three-and-a-half million Britons voted for Craig Phillips to take the £70,000 ($105,000) prize edging out former nun Anna Nolan by just two percent.

Ten contestants were locked away from the outside world in an isolated wired-for-television house more than two months ago with the residents and public evicting a contestant each week.

Like the "Big Brother" editions in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain and the US, the British version of the programme was a ratings hit.

The activities of the household were also broadcast 24-hours-a-day on the internet.

After emerging from the house to claim his prize, Phillips said he would donate the money to a disabled friend who needed an operation in the U.S.

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Channel 4 Television

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