Experiment, The

This programme bore no really links to any psychological experiment - in any way. As a simple rating tool for the television bosses, it was average; as a fluffy sentimental (and yet another) fly-on-the-wall docu-soap, it excelled. I have no problem with this as a piece of entertainment - however, I do object to it being called a “psychological experiment”. The original experiment by Zimbardo in the 1970’s was conducted under strict laboratory conditions, which bore no relation to the ‘experiment’ conducted here. Firstly, the ‘contestants’ (which they were - as opposed to subjects in an experiment) were fully ...  Read the complete review

‘The Experiment’ is a fascinating ‘fly on the wall’ that has recently started on BBC2 (Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9pm-10pm). Background: Small ads appeared in the press last year appealing for male volunteers to join in a "university-backed social science experiment to be shown on TV", no money was offered, and there was no suggestion that participation would lead to fame, the advert did warn of exercise, tasks, hardship, hunger, boredom, solitude and anger: applicants were not aware that this was the BBC’s attempt to recreate the infamous 1971 Stanford experiment. In 1971, Philip Zimbardo, conducted a prison ...  Read the complete review