i.e is he quite down to Earth or is he bitchy and egotistical?

Bit of both

Nothing extraordinary that really shocked you about his character?

He's a bit of a potty mouth, which was obviously not shown on the X-factor, not that shocking though.

Also he's pretty mediocre as a HM (although BB have given him lots of tasks to give him some airtime).

On X-Factor he was billed as the OTT entertainer and the controversial marmite act, but after a while it became clear there wasn't much beneath the surface. He then started being outshined by an even more controversial character - Chris Maloney. Due to it being such a poor series, the attention shifted focus onto Maloney, with his every action and intention torn apart. Even the show and the media seemed to be against him. Rylan came across as just a harmless bit of fun and a bit of a joke, but nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy.

Boy, I never realized what a similar thing has happened in CBB, but with Speidi in the place of Maloney.

Rylan was more entertaining in his interviews, people seemed to find him amusing, although there was a scowl on his face whenever Maloney was mentioned. Particularly when it was revealed at the final that Maloney had topped the voting most weeks. Rylan looked the most outraged. lol