August 2000.
It was a typical Saturday night. As usual my friends and I had ended up in the same club that we had frequented weekly for the past several years. The familiar faces were there, same people, same place. It was like an R&B version of ‘Groundhog Day’.
The usual tracks that the DJ played was suddenly interrupted by a large projector screen coming down from the ceiling. The music stopped and a countdown appeared on the screen, and with a slightly confused look on my face, I glanced over towards my friends who seemed to be transfixed by what was happening.
Immediately I thought I had jumped three months into the future and that it was actually the eve of the Millennium. But alas I was wrong. The screen began to flicker and there before my eyes it appeared.
It was a countdown clock that I could not understand, then I realised that what I was actually seeing was the start of reality television in the United Kingdom.
There before me loomed the symbol of the Big Brother eye. Up until the time I had not actually seen any of Big Brother even though I was aware of its existence yet was witnessing was the first eviction. This first eviction of Big Brother was enough to bring the whole nightclub to a complete standstill, eyes transfixed on the screen as everyone was guessing who was going to get evicted as the very first person in Big Brothers history.
I personally did not know what to make of this is the first time I had ever seen Big Brother, and, even though people were talking about I could not understand the concept nor the popularity of how putting a random group of people in a house together captured the imagination of the general public. However, it seemed particularly popular so thought I would see what the fuss was about. It gripped me and, for the next 4 weeks, I was totally transfixed by watching the lights of random strangers locked up in a house under control and of course under the gaze of the general public.
But that was then, this is now.
Over the past four years, Big Brother’s four-man concepts changed radically easing the each housemate was seeking fame quickly and with the series it just became apparent that there was a lack of what I will class as real people in the Big Brother environment.
After the final series, on Channel 4 aired in 2010 I actually thought that the start of the downfall of reality television. Big Brother has given us many funny moments but also many dull moments and, unfortunately, the programme had become a victim of its own success.
It seems now that every time you turn on the TV you encounter some sort of reality TV.
Since I’ve moved to Sweden I’ve noticed that they show a lot of what I would call classic ‘British television’ comprising of excellent dramas, sensational documentaries and shows that I may have missed along the way. I believe that Britain has become a nation of reality TV addicts, and I do fear for the future of British drama. Britain has produced some superb dramas over the years, but it seems that drama has become out of favour with the viewing public.
I’m certainly not going to knock all reality TV because some of it has been fun to see, but I do think that enough is enough. The music reality shows seem to bring out people who think they are famous before they have even found fame.
There have been exceptions some musical contestants have gone on to become true musical talents yet others seem just want to be famous for 15 min.
There needs to be a delicate balance between what is offered on the UK terrestrial TV, yet I fear this is going the wrong way.
I would love to hear your thoughts on if you think that there is too much reality TV on British TV and what are your thoughts on the current format of programs.
