HE'S escaped and had a fight with another contestant but a former Chase pupil is favourite to win a Polish version of television show Big Brother.

Tom Amos, aged 28, has become a national celebrity in Poland after reaching the final week of Bar Europa.

He has spent the last three months living in a house in Wroclaw under constant television camera surveillance, even when in the shower.

The show is very similar to Channel 4's Big Brother - the contestant with the least viewer votes is evicted each week - but housemates spend each night working in a student bar.

His mother Kate and sister Chloe have flown to Poland to support him during last night's (Thursday) semi-final and tomorrow's final, where he could win the top prize of 100,000 zloty (around £20,000.)

Tom is the most popular contestant with a record-breaking internet popularity rating of 40 per cent, and has built a devoted following of Polish teenagers.

Despite his popularity with the audience, he has not been getting on with his housemates and Marta Sprawka, who works for Polish television company TV4, said his fans had kept him in the show.

"Thomas is one of the audience's favourites, but the enthusiasm is not shared by the contestants," she said.

"His relationships with them are not very easy but each time the viewers have had to decide who has to leave the house they have voted against his adversaries."

Tom has broken the rules on more than one occasion, escaping for a few hours to visit his girlfriend and fighting with a fellow contestant.

Decisions about punishment in such cases are left to a viewer vote and usually results in eviction. However, on both occasions the public chose to keep him in the programme.

Tom has spent the last two years in Poland, after first visiting to work with deprived children.

His father Arthur said Tom would not have expected to do so well, as he had worried his language skills were not up to the task.

"He's made extraordinary strides in a difficult language and held his own remarkably well," he said.

"He's never so much as been in a school play before but he's extremely confident in front of the camera."

Former Chase headteacher David Fawbert was not surprised to hear of Tom's popularity.

"I remember him as a really affable, bouncy lad who had lots of creative ideas," he said. "Clearly the charisma he had at school is being reflected in his adult life."

Despite his success, Tom's family expect to spend some time with Poland's newest celebrity.

Mrs Amos said: "Win or lose, Tom plans to spend Christmas at home with his family in Worcester."

Tom is the third reality TV star from the local area, following Tim Culley, from Upton, and Nush Nowak, from Malvern, who have both appeared past series of Big Brother.