Friday 16 December 2005
thisisworcester
ENJOYING a quiet pint in a Worcester pub in 2001, Tom Amos was approached by a man who said he looked as though he was bored.
"Do you want to go Poland?" the man asked.
Fast-forward four years and Tom is grinning like a Cheshire cat on Polish TV, having won their equivalent of Big Brother, picking up a cheque for an impressive 100,000 zloty (£17,000).
But then truth is often stranger than fiction and Tom's decision to take up the man's offer working on the European Youth Programme in Poland became the catalyst for what has proved to be a whirlwind adventure.
"A lot of people go into these shows to be famous - but I did it because I thought it'd be an interesting experience and I didn't have any money," said the 28-year-old, from Monkwood Green, near Worcester. "If you have a chance of winning a prize and you've got nothing it would have made me pathetic if I didn't have a go at it and I did and really fought for it."
Tom first went to Poland to work with underprivileged children in theatre in 2001.
He went back in February this year to take a language course, which he completed in the summer before going travelling to Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
He got the chance to star on Bar Europa - a Big-Brother style reality television show where contestants also work in a bar - as he was living in Wroclaw, where the programme's makers are based and was approached by one of the researchers for the show.
With little more than 200 zloty - about £35 - to his name, he was barely able to afford his rent, so he jumped at the chance, making his way through a series of auditions.
The pay-off of three months of life under the ever watchful eyes of the cameras came at the weekend as he notched up 76 per cent of the vote to be named the show's winner.
Tom's mum Kate and 24-year-old sister Chloe even jetted to Poland to see him in action, making an appearance in the final.
He said: "It was extremely good because it's given me lots of money. I didn't realise I had the stamina because the pressure I was under in the house was awful at times."
During his time in the house, Tom and his fellow contestants took part in a variety of challenging activities, including an army assault course at 5am, involving a bog-jump and a two-mile run. The lively character also took part in rally-driving on the Czech border and made a name for himself scaling the boundary fence of the house to visit his girlfriend.
One of his fondest memories, however, is of when he gave an English lesson to pupils at a school.
He said: "I stayed a bit longer than the bell after one lesson and was mobbed by 200 children jumping up and down asking for my autograph.
"I think it's nice to have that happen once in my life as I doubt it'll happen again."
But it was not all happy times in the house, with Tom revealing that most of his housemates are unlikely to feature on his Christmas card list.
One particular incident involved a fight between him and a 6ft 4in Russian, in which he was punched square in the face.
"In the house they used to call me `angol' which is the equivalent of calling the French frogs. It was a bit like being at university because they were all immature," he said.
Now the star is looking forward to Christmas with his family back in Monkwood Green.
The former pupil of Chase High School pupils jets back on Tuesday, December 20, for the festive period.
However, he is planning to return to Poland in the New Year to be with his girlfriend and then has his sights set on a career in the media as a television presenter or researcher.
He is also currently deciding what to do with his winnings and may buy a house in Poland.
"If you go and are willing to learn the language it's a real land of opportunity. I'd definitely recommend it to any young person sitting around with nothing to do."
