AS Upton's very own Big Brother contestant took his first brave steps out of the house into a celebrity circus last Friday, his father was one step closer to returning to a life of normality.

Despite having an operation on his broken shoulder last week, Neil Culley was at 23-year-old Tim's eviction party to make sure he came out to a friendly face.

The proprietor of the Swan Hotel and Neilanos restaurant said he was amazed by just how involved the public seemed to be in the Channel Four programme.

"I even got approached at a concert in the park at Belton in Lincolnshire the other evening," he said. "A lady came up and grabbed the editor of a local newspaper to take my picture. It was very strange.

"It's been all right though. Most of the families involved seem to regard it as a celebrity thing for both the housemates and themselves. I didn't look at it like that.

"It was Tim's choice to go in there. He took it upon himself to do it although I don't think he realised how much we would be involved."

Despite leaving the house to a barrage of booing Neil said Tim was soon back to his usual self, chatty and cheerful.

He said: "I thought he did very well in the interview. I think it looked harder for us than it was for him. He took it in his stride."

Karen Brosh, from the Outside Organisation who handle the PR for Big Brother contestants, said that Tim would be returning home next week to consider his future.