The show ran between September 16 and December 30, 1999 for a total of 106 days and was broadcast by the Dutch television channel Veronica.
The specially built house was located at a factory-site in Almere and presented by Rolf Wouters and Daphne Deckers.
This Burgundian became the darling of the public with his often repeated oneliners and his simple philosophies in the diary room.
Hotly debated was the relation between the leading female, housewife Karin (who had recently been cured of cancer), and her much younger 'mate' Maurice.
The first-ever evicted housemate was Martin, who also vied for Sabine's attention and had accused Bart of being gay.
In the end, Willem betrayed his friend Ruud in the nominations, and Bart became the first-ever winner of Big Brother.
During the season the housemates were visited by artists George Baker, Marco Borsato and Anouk.
The communally recorded song Big Brother and the tune Leef (Han van Eijk) reached number one in the pop charts.
Maurice was always struggling with ping pong, widely believed to be the main reason to be ousted early on the show.