The loudmouth racing pundit only really became a Big Brother sensation when he finally stopped talking.

Faced with the prospect of not getting his Diet Coke, the male chauvinist was forced him to take drastic action – in his case a three-day vow of silence.

It also forced his housemates – and the rest of the nation – to watch a grown man silently slumped on a sofa in some of the biggest and most unpleasant white Y-fronts in the history of television.

John, who refers to his wife Jenny as the Booby, admitted before the show that he was “a deeply unpleasant person” and went out of his way to prove it.

He refused to do his share of the tasks, offended nearly everyone with his views on women, and was evicted on day 12 in eighth place.

And he carried on where he left off – appearing in Celebrity Wife Swap a year later where he did his level best to drive Edwina Currie into a murderous rage by refusing to leave his bed, cook, clean or drive his car.

Age: 70

From: Surbiton, Surrey

Big Brother History: Was the second housemate evicted from the 2005 series of Celebrity Big Brother

Most Memorable BB Moment to date: Refusing to talk for three days after being refused his regular supply of Diet Coke

Likes: Horses more than people

Dislikes: Not getting his Diet Cokes

Why he could be the Ultimate Big Brother housemate: Possibly the grumpiest man to ever enter the house, John is bound to fall out with pretty much everyone else he meets.