Until Wednesday night Nicolas Bateman was the most popular person in the Big Brother house. As the only person to have escaped a single nomination vote he was sitting pretty.

The British public may have been baying for his blood but it looked increasingly likely that he'd escape eviction and survive until the last week.

In five weeks the population has seen him lie, manipulate, cajole and con his way into their affections. There is no doubt that he was playing a dangerous game but it worked, for a while at least. How the tables have turned. His house mates are now wise to his conniving ways and his tactics have blown up in his face. But how did he manage to hold the wool over the eyes of the other members for so long?

* He was consistent with different people * He was aware of who people think they are * He had conversations one-to-one * He won people's trust

Dr Linda Papadopoulos, counselling psychologist, had a few theories on how Nick managed to escape detection for so long:

"He tried to find out where people were coming from and then build on that. People love talking about themselves. It's a control thing. The more you let someone talk about themselves the more you know about them."

The consequence of this strategy, for Dr Linda, is that:

"He realised who everyone wanted to be and he allowed them to be just that person when he was with them. He played them."

To back-up her theory she pointed out Nick's confession to Mel that he'd lied about he's secret wife dying in Australia:

"It was as if was saying 'you know what, I'm telling you this because you're smart', she likes to see herself as smart, so he let her in on it and verified her opinion of herself. He also played an important mind game. He was almost saying 'you can trust me. Once I tell a lie I've got to tell someone I've told a lie and it's you that I've told because you're smart and I trust you.'"

He also conducted his conversations in intimate surroundings. In a group it is much easier to show yourself up, she said.

Another reason for Nick's temporary success was that, unlike the other house members, he was consistent:

"Nichola, who probably has a much better heart than him, is inconsistent."

Alluding to Nichola's tearful altercation with Darren last Friday, Dr Linda continued:

"She screamed at Darren but she really likes him. He never did that kind of thing. He was much more in control of what he did. This consistency made people see him as reliable and dependable - someone who wouldn't change. Everyone else is variable. He was their constant."

It is important to remember that there was always a major flaw to Nick's scheming. Ultimately it is you, the viewing and voting, public who decide who wins the £70,000 prize money. It may once have looked like Nick would make it to the last three. But it was doubtful that he'd ever win over the nation's heart. Now he won't get the chance.

Big Brother is a Bazal production for Channel 4.