The real winner of Celebrity Big Brother won’t be Jack P. Shepherd

Jack P. Shepherd may have clinched the Celebrity Big Brother title – but the real winner is Danny Beard.

Last night, after three weeks of drinking tea fading into the background, Coronation Street star Jack pipped Danny to the post, ending an unbeaten winning streak for LGBTQ Big Brother winners on ITV.

Jack was nice enough, his unhealthy addiction to PG Tips was mildly endearing… but winner?

If this series is remembered for one housemate, it will be Danny and ultimately, that’s what matters most when the cameras have stopped rolling and Big Brother is no longer watching.

When the Celebrity Big Brother cast was first leaked days before the live launch, it was clear this was going to be a spectacular series – Mickey Rourke aside – for all the right reasons.

It was a line-up that was packed with star power, but not reliant on it.

The last series, and first on ITV, made an obvious mistake, casting Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. Although they made great television as a pair, there was little else to celebrate and more importantly they didn’t capture the essence of Celebrity Big Brother. 

All Big Brothers, celebrity or otherwise, only really need a handful of players to really root for. It’s easy to throw in characters that will inevitably create drama but without stand-out winners, it very quickly becomes a slog and last year’s CBB was often hard work.

Skip to 2025 though, and Celebrity Big Brother was truly back to its best, thanks to finalists Danny, Jojo Siwa, Donna Preston, Chesney Hawkes, Chris Hughes, and Jack, with an honourable mention going to Patsy Palmer, whose comical misery was by far my highlight.

So often the star of a series leaves empty-handed – Scotty T winning the year of Tiffany Pollard’s David’s Dead is one of the biggest crimes of the century.

Jack’s unexpected victory isn’t anyway near as offensive as that, I don’t even mind it so much, but only because Danny is so clearly coming out of this series a star.

In his interview with AJ Odudu and Will Best, he frankly told them both: ‘I want your job.’

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if later this year we see that happen – at least in part.

Danny is a millennial Lily Savage, proven to be one of the most exciting and quick-witted talents in the UK. ITV would be foolish not to use them as host of Late and Live, keeping Will and AJ for the main show and keeping the two jobs completely separate.

If they don’t, Danny is almost certain to be making whatever rival reality TV show that does have the sense to book them instead a dangerous competitor for Big Brother.

Jack went into Celebrity Big Brother as one of its biggest names and, yes, will leave a CBB winner but his life and career will return to normal. He’ll still be one of the most recognisable names in soap and rightly so.

But Danny has captured the excitement of the public on a level so few people manage to achieve on Celebrity Big Brother.

Though everyone still in the house has brought something special to the screen, Danny captured everything about a champion. 

From the moment Danny walked into the house, they commanded the room with ease and been friendly to all housemates, regardless of having different viewpoints – take his early camaraderie with ex-Tory MP Michael Fabricant, for one.

Their quick comebacks and cheeky pranks were CBB gold, like when he tricked Donna into crawling around on all fours while they were dressed as house cats.

But more than this, Danny’s fierce advocacy for gender non-conforming identities is powerful to watch, particularly when outside the house, unknown to them until they left, the trans community has been dealt a cruel blow with the UK Supreme Court ruling that trans women are not women.

Platforming trans people and drag queens has never felt more important, and Danny winning Celebrity Big Brother could be a true testament to how a huge portion of the country really feels about trans men and women, and anyone who doesn’t fit inside the confinement of binary gender identities.

But the politics around gender aside and regardless of last night’s result, Danny is a Celebrity Big Brother winner through and through.

For me, if this series becomes celebrated for one thing, it’s the wicked sense of humour of Danny, which comes in the package of a fabulous drag queen and is delivered with so much warmth, a stunning example of the very best of the queer community.

Danny said their humour is their secret weapon, but I disagree – it’s their wisdom.

They were such a comfort in the house, and showed empathy to others few in his position would have. He went in admitting he was fearful of Olympic gold medallist Daley Thompson, but he gave him a chance, they talked through their perspectives and formed a friendship.

They gave much-needed guidance to Jojo when her own journey has taken her by surprise, redefining her gender-identity and relationship with her sexuality. They may not have struck up the close connection they expected to until these final few days, but Danny was still the role-model full of LGBTQ+ intelligence and experience Jojo needed, whether they were close at the time or not.

But someone as fun and sharp as Danny just inevitably brings out the best in everyone around them too.

Danny can absolutely be serious when they need to be, but just being in the room you can see it’s immediately lifted. 

To be fair, after they fell into a pile of boxes dressed as a Stepford housewife, they deserved the trophy there and then – but they’ve had so many meme-able moments like every CBB legend should. 

That’s why this series has been so fun because even if Danny’s not at the centre of the joke, it’s their energy alone that brings the humour out in others.

Initially, I think several housemates were intimidated by Danny but it’s a testament to them that they didn’t just win the others over, they’re loved by them.

The public feels the same. This is just the beginning of the rise and rise of Danny Beard – mark my words.

Celebrity Big Brother is available to stream on ITVX.

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