Big Brothers protect Dowling from press as fans storm house

You couldn't hear the cash registers with the screaming in Easons yesterday when Brian Dowling made his first public appearance in Dublin since winning Channel 4's Big Brother.

But the cash registers were ringing, all right. The man who used to push drinks trolleys for Ryanair was pushing books on this occasion - copies of Big Brother 2: the official unseen story, to be exact. They were selling like lager on a flight full of English soccer supporters.

The O'Connell Street store confirmed the event was "bigger than Beckham", in reference to the Manchester United star's appearance last year to promote his autobiography. A spokeswoman said over 1,000 copies of the book were sold during Dowling's appearance yesterday, "but that's erring on the side of caution".

Whatever about the statistics, it was certainly noisier than Beckham.

Notwithstanding the fact the Channel 4 series made him a gay icon, the 23-year-old Kildare man's fans were almost exclusively female, and they screamed as though they were watching a combination of a Westlife concert and The Silence of the Lambs.

With the book costing £9.99, none of those queueing was expecting change out of a tenner; but some hoped for a change out of Brian. "It's a pity he's gay, but he's gorgeous," said Ms Paula Skelly from Lusk.

Having apparently attempted a conversion, Easons staff member Ms Sandra Curley struggled to compose herself after meeting her hero. "I'm still shaking. He kissed me on the lips, and I put my hand on his bum," she said. Her colleague Ms Irene Dempsey was more restrained: "He's dead sound."

The exuberance of the fans didn't extend to Dowling's handlers, who seemed to be taking their Big Brother roles literally.

The star's initial entrance was aborted when Channel 4 security objected to the proximity of the media. Journalists who attempted to ask questions were told if they persisted, they might be asked to leave, although not in those exact words.

Easons protested they had no influence over the matter. "He's very much under the control of the TV people," said a spokesman, while even Dowling's agent refused to discuss anything except yesterday's event. Meanwhile, the self-styled "trolley dolly" ignored the fracas, and kept signing books. Released from Channel 4's Big Brother house, but seemingly not yet duty-free.