Big Brother - We are still watching you (Big Brother (TV Series))

Member Name: RPH1991

Product:	Big Brother (TV Series)
Date:	24/08/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Arguments/relationships etc is good viewing, public have a say

Disadvantages: Takes up a lot of time, HM's more aware of structure of show

So the original idea of Big Brother, back in 2000, was to place a selection of people inside a house with no contact with the outside world. The 'housemates' were required to nominate each week, which eventually gets them booted out one by one. It was an experiment. The basic outline of the show remains the same today, but changes are evident.

The idea of watching people living in a house carrying out day-to-day activities could seem a little dull to some. However, it is the opposite to many, as watching friendships, love, and hatred evolve is somewhat interesting. Due to the many cameras placed around the house, and their mics, we are able to see and hear everything. In such a small enclosure, commonly known as the Big Brother house, there is bound to be drama (fight night!) - which leads to entertainment for the viewers.

However, over the years I have noticed that some contestants placed inside the house have not been so exiting as hoped to be. This has lead to the producers attempting to bring good TV viewing rather than the housemates themselves. For example in BB4, often referred to as a dull/tame/boring series, was sparked up a bit when the producers pulled stunts such as sending a housemate to Africa during the series, and bringing back an ex, and one of the more interesting, housemates. Although it was interesting to see the outcome of these events, I believe interesting and exiting viewing in Big Brother needs to come from the housemates themselves. This would explain why each year the housemates places inside the Big Brother house become more outrageous (to begin with at least).

Another downfall, which has arisen due to the high popularity of the program is that the housemates themselves know everything about Big Brother and know what to expect due to watching the programme themselves. In the latest few series there is constant chatter about around topics such as "What will the public think of me?" "Will I be booed?" "Will I get a magazine deal out of this?" Very different to the first few series of Big Brother, when it was all about having fun.

In conclusion, Big Brother still provides entertainment and can be interesting at times. It has inevitably gone through changes over the past years to make it appeal further to mass audiences (younger viewers are targeted through "Big Brother's Little Brother"), but the idea of the show remains the same, and the public must pick their favourite housemate to win the cash.

Summary: Big Brother has proved to be hugely successful and the experiment idea lives on