Big Brother (British TV series)
Template:Big Brother UK sidebarBig Brother UK is the British version of the Big Brother franchise which originated in the Netherlands, and is currently the third-longest-running Big Brother series. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia in which Big Brother can always spy on the inhabitants of the dictatorship he heads through their television sets, with the slogan "Big Brother is watching you".
The programme was first broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland a few days after the US version. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and E4 from 2000 to 2010. Channel 4 stated on 26 August 2009 that Big Brother would not be broadcast on either channel from 2011.[1] By the end of the Channel 4 broadcasting, there will have been 11 regular series, 22 series including spin-offs, and over 1000 episodes of Big Brother in the UK.
Overview
Big Brother is a gameshow in which a group of contestants, called housemates (in Big Brother 2009, contestants had to earn their status), live in isolation from the outside world in a "house" that is custom built, but includes everyday facilities such as a fully-equipped kitchen and a garden. The house is also a television studio, and includes cameras and microphones in most of the rooms to record the activities of the housemates. The only place where housemates can escape the company of the other contestants is the Diary Room, where they are encouraged to voice their true feelings. Not all Diary Room footage is broadcast. Each week all housemates nominate two of their fellows for potential eviction. The two (sometimes more) housemates with the highest number of nominations face a public vote conducted by phone and, in some years, text message; the one with the most votes is evicted from the House. Occasionally more than one housemate may be evicted in a week. The last contestant remaining in the house is declared the winner and awarded a large cash prize. From 2000 to 2003, the prize was ₤70,000. From 2004 to 2010, the prize was ₤100,000.
The main television coverage takes the form of a daily highlights programme. All main series and spin-off series aired on Channel 4 and E4 have been narrated by Marcus Bentley. The launch programme introduces the contestants to the House for that particular season. Live evictions and the finale programme for any Big Brother series broadcast on Channel 4 or E4 have been hosted by Davina McCall (excluding Big Brother Celebrity Hijack). The show is produced by Brighter Pictures, an Endemol company.
Main series
Presenters
Davina McCall hosts the Live Eviction shows, as well as the first episode of the series (called the Launch Night) and the Live Finale. By the end of the Channel 4 broadcast, Davina will have hosted 21 series, which is every series of Big Brother to date, other than the spin-off series Big Brother Celebrity Hijack and "Teen Big Brother the Experiment".
The highlights show features the previous day's events condensed into a one hour show. For all the Channel 4 broadcast it has been narrated by Marcus Bentley, who also narrates for the Live Eviction and Live Finale shows.
Auditions
Lewis Reilly and Mikey Jubb thought of the idea for the Big Brother open auditions. and have been held around the UK and Ireland since Big Brother 5. Before this, auditionees had to send audition tapes to the producers. Auditions for the tenth and eleventh series were also held on YouTube, where people could record their audition and put it on the Big Brother YouTube channel.
Current format
Launch Night
On the launch night, eighty one hopefuls, attend the launch night waiting for Big Brother to call out 13 housemates of his choice. Housemate number 14 to enter the house is chosen at random and is given a secret task.
Big Brother
The Housemates can be addressed by Big Brother through a PA system located within the house, and when the Housemates are addressed by Big Brother, it always refers to itself in the third person. Big Brother has several voices and is sexless, although its voices can be either male or female, depending on which member of the production crew is taking on the role at that time. Big Brother is also emotionless and will address Housemates with objectivity, although it is sensitive and empathetic in difficult times for Housemates. At all times, Big Brother's decisions are final.
Suitcases
Housemates have their suitcases delivered to them the day after they arrive, which contain their own clothes and personal items. Housemates are forbidden from taking reading material, religious books (though leeway is often given), branded items (unless covered), writing material (sometimes even cosmetics that can possibly be used to write), and other contraband items into the House. Suitcases are scrutinized by Big Brother before they are delivered. In the past they have been allowed one luxury item, including musical instruments and alcohol, but these have also been banned. Once suitcases have been unpacked, they are then taken away again. However, in some instances Big Brother will not deliver suitcases as punishment for breaking the rules, or may also use them as a reward for completing tasks set by Big Brother.
In Big Brother 2010 the housemates did not receive their suitcases in first instance they had to earn their suitcase.
Life in the House
Over the duration of the series, the Housemates are given a series of tasks by Big Brother which test them in many ways. They are also put to the test by their own ideals, prejudices and opinions against other people from different walks of life; something that has survived from the original "social experiment" of Big Brother 1. They live in the communal House and share cooking and cleaning chores among themselves, which usually provides plenty of tension. Housemates are forbidden to sleep during daylight hours - Big Brother plays the wake-up call persistently in the morning if housemates do not wake up and will play an alarm clock noise into the house if a housemate falls asleep during the day. Housemates must also live by the fundamental rules of Big Brother; if the rules are broken it can result in formal warnings, various punishments or even a Housemate's removal from the House.
The Diary Room
In the Diary Room, Housemates are allowed to privately tell Big Brother about their issues and worries about other Housemates, as well as ask Big Brother for items for the house. The Diary Room is also used by Big Brother when Big Brother needs to speak to individual Housemates alone for any reason. Some of the Housemates are comfortable enough in the Diary Room to discuss personal feelings, issues and even general personal business not relating to the house. The Diary Room is also the only room in the house not shown on live streaming in order to protect the Housemates' privacy. However, some conversations in the Diary Room will appear in highlights shows, especially if they pertain to an event or situation within the house.
When Housemates request items such as cleaning materials, alcohol or extra cigarettes (at the discretion of Big Brother), they are either delivered via the Diary Room, the storage room or a delivery hatch sometimes located in the main House. Instructions and items for tasks are also delivered via the Diary Room.
In the past, notably in Big Brother 5's 'Fight Night' and Big Brother 9's 'Fight Night II' it was necessary for Big Brother to use the Diary Room as a means of removing aggressive Housemates from potentially violent situations.
The Shopping
Each week Big Brother sets the Housemates a task in order to determine the shopping budget for the following week. They must work together to win the tasks in order to win a luxury shopping budget of £5 per head per day. If they lose, they will only receive a basic shopping budget of £1 per head per day. If all food runs out in the House, Big Brother provides emergency rations of chickpeas and rice. Housemates are responsible for their own shopping and decide which items the budget is bought. Only a small percentage of the overall budget can be spent on alcohol, and Big Brother delivers the alcohol separately in increments as a reward for tasks or a treat after Evictions - this rule was introduced after a number of violent altercations between drunken Housemates in earlier series. Shopping is usually delivered on Thursday afternoon after the remainder of the previous week's food has been removed via the Store Room. Big Brother provides packed lunches for the interim period.
Nominations
Each week, usually on a Monday, the Housemates are individually called to the Diary Room by Big Brother in alphabetical order, where they must nominate two fellow Housemates for eviction privately.
They must provide full and frank reasons for nominating their chosen Housemates and cannot nominate themselves. Once all Housemates (or all Housemates eligible to nominate) have nominated, the two or more Housemates with the most nominations are then put to the public vote, where the Housemate or Housemates with the most votes are evicted in a live Friday night eviction. The nominations are not revealed to the Housemates by Big Brother until the day after the nominations process, usually a Tuesday, when voting has already begun. On a Friday afternoon, nominated Housemates have their suitcases delivered to them so they may pack in anticipation of the evening's eviction.
It is a fundamental rule that Housemates are not allowed to discuss with each other who they have nominated or speculate who they may nominate, and they are banned from discussing who might have nominated the Housemates up for eviction - unless given permission by Big Brother (as in Big Brother 9's Nominations Pod and also in Big Brother 10 after continuous rule breaking). If a Housemate has broken any of the fundamental rules regarding nominations, Big Brother will impose a punishment on the Housemate or the entire House.
Live Eviction and Davina
On Eviction Night, Big Brother plays crowd noise into the House so that Housemates are unable to hear chanting from the real crowd waiting for the evictee, protecting the concept of 'no contact with the outside world'. At the start of the second show, through live link, Davina informs the Housemates of the nomination results from just outside the House. She addresses the House in the following scripted speech:
"Big Brother House, this is Davina. You are live on Channel 4; please do not swear. (Nominated Housemates' names), the lines are closed, the votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal that the nth person to be evicted from the Big Brother House is... (Evicted Housemate's name). (Evicted Housemate's name), it's now time for you to say your goodbyes. I'm coming to get you!"
Originally, the Housemates were informed of the results at the end of the first show. They then had 30 minutes to prepare themselves for their exit, while the show went on a break. At the start of the second show, Davina would then speak to the House and ask the evictee to leave.
The evicted Housemate has 15 (originally 30) seconds to say their goodbyes and leave the House. The house mate proceeds to the front doors and awaits to exit. Once they exit, they are greeted by the live crowd, which will boo or cheer according to the popularity of the evicted Housemate. They will then be taken past a bank of photographers and then led away down the middle of the crowd to the nearby studio by Davina. There they are interviewed by Davina about their time in the House. In unexpected twists adding to the series appeal, Big Brother foregoes the prescribed eviction process and will remove Housemates in a variety of other ways. In the past, Big Brother asked the housemates to evict their least favourite nominated housemate, or has evicted nominated Housemates through the Diary Room without other Housemates realising that an eviction was taking place, or a surprise double eviction. Such twists in the format are more common towards the end of a series.
Live Final and the Winner
In the Live Final, a small number of Housemates remain in the house (anywhere from 3 to 6), after surviving numerous evictions. The public are then asked to vote for their favourite surviving Housemate to win a cash prize and be crowned the winner of Big Brother. Voting lines are suspended at intervals on the live final show to reveal the runners-up. Housemates finishing lower than third place are evicted without the delay and interviewed by Davina. However, once the second runner-up is revealed, the show then goes for a break, before it returns half an hour later to allow the Housemate to be evicted and interviewed by Davina. The winner is then announced. The first runner-up then leaves the House and is interviewed by Davina, followed by the winner, who is usually treated to a cheering crowd and a firework display, before they are interviewed by Davina.
Schedule
Each highlight show features the events that happened in the previous day in the house. On the Live Eviction Shows, the housemates are evicted the same day as the results are shown, and the highlight show from the next day will often show their eviction again (without the interview.) The highlights show was originally aired in an 11pm half-hour slot when the first series was launched before being moved to 10pm half-way through. The show retained this 10pm half-hour slot until it was extended to fifty minutes during Big Brother 5 and 6. The seventh series saw the launch of hour-long shows at 9pm. The same show is repeated on E4 later in the day during the afternoon. Friday's half-hour live episode is repeated Saturday mornings on Channel 4's T4 and then repeated Saturday evening on E4 and in the T4 and E4 repeats, housemate entrances and exits are generally edited so that they go dark to light, and also they slow down some of the action. This however can cause severe ghosting in the picture. It is possible this is done to lower the risk of flashing cameras to people who sufferer from photosensitive epilepsy, even though Channel 4 does not broadcast with low brightness. Since then the scheduling has been erratic, with 10pm highlights shows extended to seventy minutes and 8pm, 9pm and 9.30pm shows kept to one hour. Each night's show is repeated the next morning on Channel 4, during their breakfast schedule. The morning show is a (sometimes censored) repeat of the previous evening's show.
Live streaming
Channel 4 has made available live pictures and audio from the Big Brother house. However, approximately a 10-minute delay is in place so that audio and/or pictures can be censored to comply with TV regulations. This is also obvious when housemates discuss the time in the Big Brother House and when they have done so the time is commonly 10–15 minutes behind than the time of viewing.
The action from within the house used to be streamed live over the Internet for a one-off fee subscription that lasted to the end of the series, and for free to broadband customers of sponsors Virgin Media. However since Big Brother 9, the live Internet streaming was axed due to small uptake of subscriptions in past series. Since the second series, Channel 4's sister station E4 has also carried live pictures and audio from the Big Brother House. An interactive service available to digital satellite and cable viewers allows 24/7 access to the stream, even when E4 is carrying normal programming. Live streaming was cut during Big Brother 5's "Fight Night" when a House argument broke out in which the worst culprit was ejected from the house for being aggressive. The same also occurred during Big Brother 9's "Fight Night II" in which the actions of most Housemates were similar to that of "Fight Night". This was also a House argument which resulted in one Housemate being ejected for spitting in another Housemate's face. The stream was cut on the evening of Day 70 of Big Brother 11 due to rain which led to the housemates to be evacuated to a nearby building as the rainwater entered the house through the leaking roof.
As live streaming on E4 was, as claimed by producers, 'unpopular' during Big Brother 9, for Celebrity Big Brother 2009 and Big Brother 2009 the red button live feed has been axed, along with the daytime streaming on E4 which is now limited to late night–early morning coverage. This has proven to be a rather controversial move but, despite fans petitioning for its return, Channel 4 made it clear that the daytime live streaming would not be returning during Big Brother 10. It has been speculated that the axing of the daytime feed was a money-saving move on behalf of broadcaster Channel 4. As of Celebrity Big Brother 2010, afternoon coverage on E4 has returned. For the final season on Channel 4, the Internet 24/7 live feed has returned for a fee.[2]
House
For the first two series, the house was located in Bow, London near to the 3 Mills Studios.[3] After planning permission expired in 2002, Newham Council ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat. The house has been located at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since Big Brother 3 in 2002.
The house is currently built behind the studios and is overlooked by the studio offices. The house has substantial security in place including fencing, security patrols and dog units to protect the premise of "no contact from the outside world". However people can shout to the housemates in the garden via a road located near the house, threatening that premise. Whenever such incidents occur, Big Brother will ban the housemates from using the garden and ensure that they are locked in the house to prevent them from hearing what is being shouted. It has been reported that the Big Brother house has higher and better levels of security than Buckingham Palace, after the lobbyist group Fathers 4 Justice gained entry to Buckingham Palace in 2004, but a similar effort to raid the Big Brother House was foiled days later.[citation needed]
The interior design of the house changes each year to suit the theme of the series. For example, the Big Brother 5 house was claustrophobic, with harsh colour schemes to reflect the Evil Big Brother theme, while Big Brother 7 had an "Inside Out" theme with kitchen appliances, washing facilities and dining areas located in the wrong rooms or areas of the House. The Celebrity Big Brother 2010 theme was "Hell lies in others," so aspects of the house revolved around that theme, with red furniture, skulls, and clowns.
The house is situated just metres from The George Lucas Stage where the studio of spin-off shows Big Brother's Little Brother and Big Brother's Big Mouth are located, as well as the eviction studio where evicted housemates are interviewed.
Live tasks
Series 3 of Big Brother introduced the Saturday night "Big Brother: Live Task", which would determine on which side of the Rich/Poor divide individual Housemates would live for the forthcoming week. The Live Tasks were continued throughout Big Brother 4, with winners treated to a hidden "Reward Room" for the evening. Live Saturday evening Tasks were discontinued during Series 5. In the penultimate week of Series 9 there was a live task. Housemates had to nominate face to face using cue cards. The two Housemates nominated then went on to play a game where they could win £60,000.
Logo
The Big Brother logo has always been an eye that indicates that Big Brother is ‘always watching’ (with the exception of one use of the Comic Relief red nose).
The first UK series used a real human eye; it was revealed during Melanie Hill's exit interview that her eye was used. Since Big Brother 2 the logo of every UK series has been a different eye design by Daniel Eatock. Since Big Brother 5 the title sequence created by Hello Charlie has left out the title "Big Brother" with the idea that the eye logo was enough to identify the show. Celebrity Big Brother 2010 was the first series since the first to use a real eye, and also the first celebrity series not to base its logo on the previous summer's series. The final series of Big Brother used a Daniel Eatock design with flowers and petals, although it has been said that one of the designs for an eye in 2010 was one of the final designs for the Celebrity Big Brother Eye.[citation needed] Most of the Big Brother series around the world have adopted the eye in their logo, with some countries adopting designs directly from UK Big Brother. The Finnish, Australian, Serbian, Indian and Dutch series have used the UK Eatock eye.
Theme tune
The theme tune was written and produced by Element Four, a collaboration between Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray. It was released as a single in September 2000 and got to Number Four in the UK Singles Chart. Two versions of the tune were used for the opening titles. The original tune was used from 2000 to 2004. A newer version of the tune is currently in use since 2005. However, the original version continues to be in use for the intro to the show and some promos for eviction night. Two promo variations of the theme have been recorded during Channel 4's final year of the show, a symphonic version for Celebrity Big Brother, and a carnival style theme for the funeral promo before Big Brother 2010. Neither variations were used during the actual series.
Aspect ratio
Series 1 to 6 of Big Brother (2000–2005) and the four corresponding series of Celebrity Big Brother (except the Big Brother Panto) were among the very few newly-made programmes on mainstream British terrestrial television that were broadcast in the old (narrow) 4:3 aspect ratio instead of the by then more common 16:9 widescreen format. From Series 7 (2006) the 16:9 format was adopted.
Media interest
Big Brother is highly publicised in the UK: most tabloid newspapers and gossip magazines cover the series. The show has also made headlines on television news channels. After leaving the house housemates usually remain newsworthy for only a short time. Endemol gives housemates a choice of agents when leaving the House. Some have gone on to have their own reality TV shows, perfumes, DVDs, singles, columns and more; some appear in magazines, newspapers, radio stations, and television programmes; they may attend film premieres and other red carpet events. For most, fame generally declines shortly after the series finale.
Ex-housemates who remained in the public eye include Jade Goody, who died in 2009; Brian Dowling, who does television presenting and voiceover work; Kate Lawler, who worked as a television presenter on Channel 4 programme RI:SE, and as of 2010[update] was a presenter for Kerrang Radio; Chanelle Hayes, who released her own single, launched her own perfume, had a part in another reality show and had 2008's third-best selling calendar [citation needed]; Jon Tickle, who went on to present 6 series of the Sky 1 show Brainiac: Science Abuse; and Alison Hammond, who as of 2010[update] was a presenter on ITV1's This Morning.
A number of books have been written about Big Brother, including books about the show itself such as Big Brother: The Inside Story By Narinder Kaur (ISBN 978-0-7535-1294-4) and Big Brother: The Official Unseen Story By Jean Ritchie (ISBN 978-0-7522-1912-7), and books about the psychology of the show, such as The Psychology of Big Brother by Dan Jones (ISBN 978-1-4092-2825-7) and Visible Thought: The New Psychology of Body Language by Geoffrey Beattie (ISBN 978-0-415-30810-6).
Series details and viewership
Regular series
| Series | Launch date | Finale date | Days | Housemates | Winner | Series average [4] | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Brother 1 | 14 July 2000 | 15 September 2000 | 64 | 11 | Craig Phillips | 4.5 million | 52 |
| Big Brother 2 | 25 May 2001 | 27 July 2001 | 64 | 11 | Brian Dowling | 4.5 million | 55 |
| Big Brother 3 | 24 May 2002 | 26 July 2002 | 64 | 14 | Kate Lawler | 5.8 million | 72 |
| Big Brother 4 | 23 May 2003 | 25 July 2003 | 64 | 14 | Cameron Stout | 4.6 million | 73 |
| Big Brother 5 | 28 May 2004 | 6 August 2004 | 71 | 13 | Nadia Almada | 5.1 million | 82 |
| Big Brother 6 | 27 May 2005 | 12 August 2005 | 78 | 16 | Anthony Hutton | 4.5 million | 90 |
| Big Brother 7 | 18 May 2006 | 18 August 2006 | 93 | 22 | Pete Bennett | 4.7 million | 107 |
| Big Brother 8 | 30 May 2007 | 31 August 2007 | 94 | 23 | Brian Belo | 3.9 million | 96 |
| Big Brother 9 | 5 June 2008 | 5 September 2008 | 93 | 21 | Rachel Rice | 3.6 million | 108 |
| Big Brother 10 | 4 June 2009 | 4 September 2009 | 93 | 22 | Sophie Reade | 2.51 million | 108 |
| Big Brother 11 | 9 June 2010 | 24 August 2010 | 77 | 21 | Josie Gibson | 2.9 million | 77 |
Celebrity series
| Series | Launch date | Finale date | Days | Housemates | Winner | Series average [4] | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Big Brother 1 | 9 March 2001 | 16 March 2001 | 8 | 6 | Jack Dee | 5.2 million | 8 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 2 | 20 November 2002 | 29 November 2002 | 10 | 6 | Mark Owen | 4.4 million | 12 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 3 | 6 January 2005 | 23 January 2005 | 18 | 9 | Bez | 4.3 million | 19 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 4 | 5 January 2006 | 27 January 2006 | 23 | 11 | Chantelle Houghton | 4.9 million | 26 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 5 | 3 January 2007 | 28 January 2007 | 26 | 14 | Shilpa Shetty | 4.6 million | 30 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 6 | 2 January 2009 | 23 January 2009 | 22 | 11 | Ulrika Jonsson | 3.3 million | 28 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 7 | 3 January 2010 | 29 January 2010 | 27 | 12 | Alex Reid | 3.7 million[5] | 32 |
Spin-Off series
| Series | Launch date | Finale date | Days | Housemates | Winner | Series average [4] | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Big Brother | 13 October 2003 | 17 October 2003 | 10 | 8 | Paul Brennan | N/A | 5 |
| Big Brother Panto | 20 December 2004 | 5 January 2005 | 11 | 10 | - | N/A | N/A |
| Celebrity Hijack | 3 January 2008 | 28 January 2008 | 26 | 12 | John Loughton | 0.7 million | 26 |
| Ultimate Big Brother | 24 August 2010 | 10 September 2010 | 18 | 13 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Sponsorships
| Series | Sponsor | Slogan | Notes | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Brother 1 | Southern Comfort | N/A | 2000 | |
| Celebrity Big Brother 1 | N/A | 2001 | ||
| Big Brother 2 | BT Cellnet | It's The Buzz | ||
| Big Brother 3 | O 2 |
Get Connected | See note 1 | 2002 |
| Celebrity Big Brother 2 | ||||
| Big Brother 4 | 2003 | |||
| Teen Big Brother | ||||
| Big Brother 5 | TalkTalk | Get Together | 2004 | |
| Big Brother Panto | 2004-05 | |||
| Celebrity Big Brother 3 | 2005 | |||
| Big Brother 6 | ||||
| Celebrity Big Brother 4 | The Carphone Warehouse | Get Star Treatment | See note 2 | 2006 |
| Big Brother 7 | Get Together | |||
| Celebrity Big Brother 5 | Get Star Treatment | See note 3 | 2007 | |
| Big Brother 8 | Virgin Media | For a Happy House | See note 4 | |
| Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack | Virgin Mobile | See note 5 | 2008 | |
| Big Brother 9 | ||||
| Celebrity Big Brother 6 | Dreams | Britain’s leading Bed Specialist | See note 6 | 2009 |
| Big Brother 10 | Lucozade Energy | Little Brother vs. Big Brother | ||
| Celebrity Big Brother 7 | Dreams | Everything For a Great Night's Sleep | 2010 | |
| Big Brother 11 | Freederm | Skincare for Spot-prone skin | ||
| Ultimate Big Brother |
- ^1 BT Cellnet changed its name to O2, the sponsor is therefore the same as the previous series
- ^2 The Carphone Warehouse is the parent company of TalkTalk, the previous sponsor. They also had a deal of £2.5m-a-year to sponsor the Big Brother franchise[6]
- ^3 Due to the race row the sponsorship was cut off half way through the series
- ^4 The cost of this sponsorship was £2.5 Million
- ^5 Although the change of the name of the sponsor, it is still the same company and the same sponsor adverts were used
- ^6 The cost of this sponsorship was £800,000[7]
Shows
Spin-offs
Celebrity Big Brother
Originally created as a one-off tie-in series by Channel 4 in association with the BBC's Comic Relief charity telethon, Celebrity Big Brother is now a full spin-off of Big Brother UK, shown on Channel 4, S4C and Internet live streaming and downloading, backed up with email and SMS text news reports to subscribers. The series typically airs in January. The series features a number of celebrity contestants living in the Big Brother House, trying to avoid eviction by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize to be donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run. The show uses the same house and presenters as the non-celebrity version of the most recent series, but the time length is shorter than a normal Big Brother UK series. The celebrities are normally paid for their appearances, on the proviso that they don't voluntarily leave.
The first Celebrity Big Brother was aired nightly on Channel 4 with the finale broadcast live on BBC One on Comic Relief night in 2001. Subsequent Celebrity Big Brothers have not involved the BBC or Comic Relief in any way, and the charities involved are given far less publicity than in the first series.
The series took a break for Teen Big Brother, which was shown in 2003 and given a revised repeat in 2004, between 2005 and 2007 it was a regular part of Channel 4's winter schedule until in 2008 it was withdrawn due to the previous series' race row and replaced by Celebrity Hijack, the series then returned in 2009 and 2010 for the final time.
Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack
Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack was a spin off series that aired on E4 in January 2008. It was hosted by Dermot O'Leary,[8] which was his final Big Brother series, and narrated by Marcus Bentley.[9] Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack launched on 3 January both on Channel 4 and E4. After the launch, all Big Brother programmes are only aired on E4. The series was a twist on the Celebrity Big Brother format. Instead of the celebrities playing the role of Housemates, the celebrities become Big Brother itself.
Teen Big Brother
Teen Big Brother was a special version of Big Brother, where eight 18 year olds lived in the Big Brother House for ten days. The series was aired in October 2003 on Channel 4 and E4 where it was presented by BBLB host Dermot O'Leary and narrated by Marcus Bentley. Unlike all other Big Brother series, Teen Big Brother was pre-recorded and shown some months after the contestants had left the house. During the series' broadcast, it was involved in a scandal over two of the Housemates having sex on television.
Big Brother Panto
E4 and T4 broadcast the special Big Brother Panto series, bringing together ten members of the various Big Brother series to perform a pantomime of Cinderella. It was presented by Jeff Brazier and June Sarpong and narrated by Marcus Bentley. It was aired from 20 December 2004 to 5 January 2005.
Spoofs, parodies and cultural references
In the UK, Big Brother has been satirised and spoofed by many comedians including Alan Carr, Justin Lee Collins and Ricky Gervais. Big Brother has also been lampooned on programmes such as The Friday Night Project, the Doctor Who episode "Bad Wolf", and Extras.
Ben Elton's Dead Famous, published in 2001, is a humorous murder mystery novel based in a Big-Brother-like setting.
In July 2008 Revels chcolates started a Big Brother-style eviction campaign where one flavour from the bag would be replaced by a special limited edition flavour not yet announced, with voting on a website. The most-disliked flavour was coffee, with nearly half the votes cast. Raisin received around 25%, with the remaining votes spread fairly evenly among the other flavours; the coffee flavour was replaced by strawberry.
Dead Set
In October 2008, E4 aired Dead Set, a five-part horror series written by Charlie Brooker, and set during a fictional series of Big Brother. It features a zombie outbreak decimating the population of Britain, forcing the housemates and some of the production staff to seek shelter in the Big Brother House, which has seemingly become one of the only safe places left in Britain. The show features a selection of previous Big Brother housemates and host Davina McCall playing themselves. A few of the cast, including McCall, also played cameos as zombies.[10]
Controversy and criticism
Since its beginning in 2000, the concept and implementation of Big Brother has been the subject of controversy and criticism among the British public and media. There have been various investigations by numerous organisations, including TV watchdogs and the police.
Awards and nominations
Cancellation by Channel 4
On 26 August 2009, it was announced by Channel 4 that the final series of Celebrity Big Brother (Series 7) broadcast from 3–29 January 2010 and Big Brother 2010 (Series 11) which started on 9 June 2010 and will be broadcast throughout summer 2010, will be the last to be aired on Channel 4. It was thought this was due to a significant fall in viewer ratings, although Channel 4 never confirmed this. They said that Big Brother had been one of the most revolutionary programmes of the last decade but had reached its natural ending point.[11] However, following the relative success of the seventh and final series of Celebrity Big Brother, rumours have spread that Big Brother may return after a one to two year break.[citation needed] Endemol and Channel 4 have neither confirmed nor denied this, and host Davina McCall has stated "I think the rumours are true. If everyone keeps up the demand for a new series and not just forget it, the producers have stated that they will bring BB back - just with a different format. Who knows if I'll still be presenting, but even if I'm not, I'll definitely tune in!"[12] On 30 June 2010, it was announced that Endemol will be discussing with Channel Five a new slate of shows. This could include the long running reality show Big Brother.[13] After Richard Desmond bought Channel 5 he announced he was very keen to acquire Big Brother for the post-rebrand Five.[citation needed]
Footnotes
- ^ Big Brother To Be Axed, Channel 4 Confirms Sky News, 26 August 2009
- ^ http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/BB-fans-must-pay-for.6341986.jp
- ^ 3 Mills Studios
- ^ a b c Inside Big Brother[dead link]
- ^ Celebrity Big Brother Digital Spy - Forums
- ^ Channel 4 Sales[dead link]
- ^ Foster, Patrick (8 December 2008). "Dreams to sponsor Celebrity Big Brother". The Times. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Very exciting Big Brother news". Heatworld.com. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
- ^ News Flash: Dermot's quitting Big Brother's Little Brother!
- ^ "Dead Set". E4 (channel). Retrieved 2 September 2008.
{{cite web}}: Text "E4" ignored (help) - ^ Big Brother Blog[dead link] Channel 4
- ^ Celebrity Big Brother will return! STV, 24 January 2010
- ^ [1] Big Brother Creator Linked To Five Bid - Digital Spy, 30th June 2010
See also
External links
- Big Brother at Channel4.com
- Big Brother at IMDb
- Big Brother on Twitter
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| Africa |  Location of different versions of Big Brother. | |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | ||
| Asia-Pacific | ||
| Europe | ||
| Virtual | ||
- 2000 in British television
- 2000 television series debuts
- 2000s British television series
- 2010s British television series
- 2010 British television programme endings
- Big Brother (TV series)
- Big Brother (UK TV series)
- British reality television series
- Channel 4 television programmes
- Cultural history of the United Kingdom
- Television series by Endemol