Channel 5 launching Big Brother, will this reality show haunt us forever?

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Last year Big Brother came to a honourable end as we all said goodbye to Davina McCall and the house. Whether you hated or loved the show or watched it on the odd occasion, it created talking points, made the media go into frenzy and caused controversy around the nation.
The shocking reality this reality show had to face, ironically, is that it had to end whether the public hated it or not. When the show first started ratings were high, viewing figures flattered Channel 4 at the time and people were obsessed with the concept, which was  a bunch of celebrities or normal people living together in a confined space, participating in challenges and under-pressure situations. Endemol and Channel 4 must have been rubbing their hands together, with the money sign lighting up in their eyes.

But then they started being an enemy to their own success.  The concept became flawed, viewing figures halved because people did not find watching people in a house as interesting any more. Endemol retaliated not to the media, but by putting in even more crazier people in the house. This helped ratings a little but did not stop the already open wound.

I personally liked Big Brother, but I couldn’t help but thinking the end was nigh. As much as I wanted the show to produce the rabbit from the hat, I knew it wasn’t possible for them to brighten up the concept so much that they doubled the viewing figures and ratings again. And a little part of me (and some fans probably could feel this too) could understand why people absolutely despised the show. It came across as desperate in the later series and controversy wasn’t built up over time but nearly every week as something ‘big’ happened. Even our sweetheart Davina, looked tired of the show near the end, until her massive good bye show.

So when we all thought that the show was rid of, and the house had become scarce, Channel 5 or FIVE announced that they had a two year contract with Endemol in which to have 4 new series of Big Brother. Two series with normal everyday people in the house and two series with Z list celebrities. Now without trying to sound stuck up, Five is surely a step back from Channel 4. In the last 10 years, Channel 4, along with E4 and more 4 have managed to put themselves up there as one of the big TV networks. They have given us programmes that match most target audiences, more noticeably the teenager target audience. Channel 5 however have never really made a huge step on their network. In fact I don’t remember the last time I went on the channel. Probably when I watched the Europa League football, but they even made football look dire, with bad analysis of the game and bad commentating.

I don’t understand why they would want to carry on the show so desperately that they agree terms with low a rated channel. They could have left it a couple of years to see if a bigger channel would want them. I mean, the show does have a heavy CV. I remember when I was working the other week and Channel 5 employees came in and started talking to people about applying for the show. I recall about three people asking what channel it is on now, and with the reply being channel 5, the conversation kind of died off from there. It’s shameful that they are even trying to keep the series going. Especially after the big funeral episode last season and Davina categorically saying she will never host another Big Brother again.

And this is why, finally after all the years of me defending the show, I’ve finally fallen out with them. They should have held their heads high and gone out with a bang and left it at that, with their dignity intact. I reckon they’ll struggle to even make 2 million views, never mind 4 million, which Channel 4 were respectably getting near towards the end. I don’t know how the followers of the show are doing. Maybe all of them have stayed loyal and will be tuning in later this year. But if some of the fans are thinking like me, a lot of them won’t be watching it this year.

Big Brother has become a show that will haunt us forever, unfortunately.

By Daniel Hart

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