The Orcadian Features - Oh brother! Just look at you

Cameron Stout The Orkney man at the centre of a media frenzy is being tipped to win Channel 4’s cult reality series, Big Brother.

Cameron Stout has been under the spotlight since he joined 11 other contestants in the London-based house – which is completely cut-off from the rest of the world – at the weekend.

The national press descended on the county on Sunday, eager to find a story about the 32-year-old fish trader – who is the older brother of award-winning STV presenter Julyan Sinclair.

Cameron, from Garth Cottage, Harray, was the second housemate to enter the Big Brother house on Friday night and his movements have been filmed ever since.

After a couple of days on the show, now in its fourth series, the odds on Cameron taking the £70,000 cash prize fell from 12/1 to 7/1, although you will still attract odds of 11/1 at Rail’s Bookmaker’s in Kirkwall.

Just look at me . . . Cameron (left) as a small boy with baby brother Julyan, dad John and mum Doris.

Cameron must have friends in high places, with former Tory MP and author Gyles Brandreth tipping him to win on BBC One’s flagship Sunday breakfast show, Breakfast with Frost.

Thirty-three cameras follow the contestants’ every move, 24 hours a day. Each week the housemates nominate each other to face the public vote and eviction.

They have to survive with only one hour of hot water every day, a small weekly shopping budget and looking after a vegetable patch and seven chickens.

After nine weeks only one housemate will remain, winning the prize and certain fame.

After bidding farewell to his mother, Doris Stout, and Julyan, who had both travelled down to London for the start of the show, Cameron, who buys and sells fish for a New York seafood company, swept in through the BB doors.

His first comments were: “It is wild isn’t it? I can’t stop smiling, my cheeks are really sore.”

After inspecting the bedroom accommodation, he added: “It’s no bad, eh?”

Brotherly love . . . Cameron (left) with Julyan in their younger days.

While everyone was trying to settle into life in the BB house, Cameron and fellow housemate Gos, a chef from London, went for a walk outside to discuss the herb garden.

“Great, there will be some cooking going on here,” the Orkney man commented.

“I wouldn’t say I’m religious,” he continued. “I am a Christian, though. I go to the Baptist Church every Sunday. I was baptised last year.”

The Orcadian revealed that Cameron chose the Bible as the one book he was allowed to take into the house.

The export studies graduate speaks fluent French and Spanish, Japanese and Norwegian. After graduating from Napier University in Edinburgh in 1992, he lived in Lyons, France, for a year, working as an assistant curator in an art gallery.

He then moved to Seville, Spain, where he taught English to children. In 1995 he moved back to Orkney and took up a job at Orkney Salmon, before moving to his current job buying and selling fish for the company North Landing, which sees him split his time between Orkney and the United States of America.

Speculation is always high over who will be the first to become romantically involved and in Cameron’s opinion, the men have been “lucky with the choice of girls”.

He added: “Nush has amazing eyelashes and Tania talks so posh.”

Cameron was the second housemate to be called to the BB diary room to make his first nomination for the housemate he wants to see evicted. The speed of the nominations took him by surprise and he told BB: “You are a killer.”

Cameron’s father, John, (66) retired as manager of the Stromness Lighthouse Board Depot in recent years and his mother, Doris (58) was chairman of the Stromness Community Council for many years. She is also an artist and upholsterer. Doris was due to return home from the Big Brother experience yesterday, Wednesday.

Julyan, who won a Scottish BAFTA new talent award for best TV presenter last year, says his brother will win the hearts of his female housemates, but not necessarily romantically.

“I think he will be seen by some of the girls as a big brother figure. He has warmed to Nush; I think he would quite fancy Nush and Steph is the kind of person that I would see him forming a close relationship with, not the nudge, nudge kind of relationship though. He is a gentleman and would wait until he is outside the house before anything romantic happened.”

Cameron applied for the challenge of Big Brother after a working holiday at a summer camp in America about five years ago, according to his brother.

“He really enjoyed having to meet new people and getting to know them. He got on so well with everybody.”

Julyan, who has been tuning into the highlights on Channel 4 every evening, actually came to Orkney to film Cameron for his application video.

“We filmed at Yesnaby and at Garth Cottage, that’s our granny’s old house which he has converted,” Julyan said.

After several visits to Glasgow and London, Cameron was told he had made it through and he had to spend one day with a BB psychologist.

Dapper chap . . . Cameron (right) pictured at a family celebration with, from left, Julyan, John, Doris and his late grandmother Moll Sinclair.

“It was only a week ago he was told for definite. He was actually in Glasgow. He was jumping about, saying he couldn’t believe it. He is outgoing and excitable. I think what brought it home to me was when me and mother were down and we saw his face when he came out of the car to say ‘cheerio’ to us before going into the house. He had the biggest grin on his face.”

Julyan thinks his brother has been taking a back seat in the house to date, claiming he does not want to take on a paternal role.

“He summed it up in the house when he said he is not into religion, but he is a Christian. He is not God-fearing, although he will stand his ground if anyone challenges him on it.”

As to any annoying habits Cameron may have, Julyan says he has already been worrying about his snorting and fidgeting.

“He is always rolling up and down his sleeves, flicking his rings. The fact that he cannot sit and totally relax, he always has to be doing somethin,g might annoy some people.

“He does snort a lot and I warned him that this is what they will edit for his best bits. I think Anouska (who was nominated by Cameron for the public vote) will be annoying.”

But as to whether fame and fortune beckons for Cameron, Julyan thinks it is unlikely that his brother will take up any offers.

“He would have gone for it even if there were no cameras and no prize. Even if he does win it, he will not go for all the fame – he loves Orkney too much and will come back here to his job.”

Any knock-on effect on Julyan’s own television career is unlikely, the presenter added.

Julyan was actually offered several thousand pounds by one national newspaper for an exclusive story on Cameron and several thousand pounds more to write a daily column – which he turned down – he’s quick to point out.

“He genuinely does not have a skeleton in the closet,” Julyan continued. “If he does not stay in the background too long and gets down to the last five or six, I think he stands a good chance of winning.”

Cameron’s uncle Billy Sinclair stays in Birsay and watched a “peedie bit of Big Brother on Friday night”. He thought Cameron seemed to get on fine, although he admitted he and his wife Annie won’t be tuning in.

Kirkwall bookmaker’s Rails are taking bets on all the housemates. Manager Mrs Paula Johnston said they have only had one bet on Cameron to win to date, although they are expecting the craze to catch momentum as the competition continues.