The end of Big Brother
August 22nd 2010 10:12
The media seem determined to point to the diminishing ratings, and suggest that everyone is delighted to see the back of the revolutionary programme, but this is not the case. You have to remember when looking at viewing figures, that Big Brother is on every single night, so it is very impressive that at least 2 million have been watching every episode since this series began, with figures being even higher on eviction nights.
When Big Brother began, it was given wide acclaim, and is credited to being the start of the reality TV era. Based on George Orwell's novel '1984', it was a huge social experiment, which generated mass of public attention. It has also been transformed into a worldwide programme, and has been a prime time hit in around 70 countries. The first series in Britain was in 2000, and is still hosted by Davina Mccall, as it was back then. Being only 11 years old when the first series began, I didn’t start to watch the show until Series 4 in 2003, and have been hooked ever since. With the media wanting us all to believe that Big Brother ending is great and what everyone wants, I find it interesting how much interest the show still generates. For example, on social networking site Twitter, Big Brother itself and its housemates; dominate the trending topics every single night.
There have, of course, been spin-offs from Big Brother. Seven series of ‘Celebrity Big Brother’, have seen stars such as Jermaine Jackson, Jackie Stallone and more recently, Vinnie Jones, get a taste of the house experience. This has been the most successful spin-off for the programme, but still no where near as popular as the regular show. Admittedly, Big Brother Celebrity Hijack was a flop. After Big Brother 11, the winner will stay in the house, and compete against the greatest ever housemates in Ultimate Big Brother, as a send off to the programme.
But the eleven series of the regular Big Brother are what I have loved, and I feel this current series has been one of the best ever, if not the best. It kicked off on June 9th, with a very different launch night too usual. 83 potential housemates stood outside the front gates of the house, all hoping to make it as fully-fledged housemates. They only found out if they’d made it in at the same time the public did. I have to admit, when the line-up was announced, I was sceptical, as I felt there was a lack of just ‘normal’ people. There was Dave the monk, ex-military Steve, squatter Shabby, and strange characters such as Ben, Sunshine and Govan to add. But then again, most launch nights have left me feeling I wouldn’t enjoy the series, only to be proved wrong.
As the weeks went by, I was delighted that for a change, housemates I didn’t like were evicted. It was obvious from the start who would be good, entertaining housemates, and who wouldn’t. As the likes of Govan, Sunshine, Rachael, Nathan and Ife got the chop, and Shabby and Caoimhe walked, there was a group of housemates I began loving to watch. New housemates Andrew, Rachel and Keeley entered, followed later by JJ and the less entertaining Laura and Jo. But one storyline seemed to be stealing the show.
Australian housemate John-James and Bristol’s Josie had started to develop a strong friendship in the early part of the series, and this has gone on to become much more than friendship, before John-James’s departure on Friday night. Usually I find house romances frustrating and fake, but this seemed genuine and the two have been two of my favourite housemates ever. Never of them ever seemed to have any intention of using their romance to win, or for magazine deals after leaving, but have just fallen for each other in the house.
The highlight of the series for me though, undoubtedly, was the introduction of Sam Pepper. He only entered the house with three weeks remaining, sent in to stir things up, which he did. But after a few days of settling in, he became loved by all of the housemates, and was soon bookies favourite to win. In a very similar way to John James, he fell out of public favour in recent times due to arguments with Corin, but will still be remembered as possibly the most entertaining housemate ever.
Friday’s night semi-final, for me, signalled the end of the series. I feel the producers of Big Brother have done fantastically well this series, with better tasks than ever before. But one mistake was made last week. With nine housemates left, it should have been a public vote for who the public wanted in the final. Instead, it was vote for eviction, with four of eight housemates to leave, with Josie already guaranteed a final place. What this meant, with so many leaving, was that all the big characters left just before the final, with Steve, Corin, Sam and John-James gone. The final consists of the entertaining Josie and Dave, but the otherwise quite dull JJ, Andrew and Mario. Those three are in the final because they are nice, but quiet people, who the public would have no reason to vote out. But had it been vote for a place in the final, the line-up would be very different.
So though I now feel the series is all but over, with Josie the only really big personality remaining after semi-final night, and I’m not too fussed about ‘Ultimate Big Brother’, I am excited for the final. I will devastated when Big Brother does come to an end, but there could have been no better send off than the most entertaining, and fun series ever. The tasks have been brilliant, and a bit of bad weather causing a house flood last week added to the drama, but housemates such as John-James, Josie, Sam, Corin and Dave, and also a special mention to Ben, evicted in week 7, have made this a series to remember. But what a fantastic ten years of entertainment, Big Brother has given us.
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