But what is the fascination with reality television shows like Big Brother, and what does it demonstrate about society as a whole?
The title of the Big Brother series is taken from George Orwell's famous 1949 novel 1984, a dystopia in which Big Brother is the all-seeing leader.The Big Brother reality TV show operates in a similar way. The housemates undergo a series of tasks and challenges, live, sleep and eat in the house, and are watched by cameras at all times.
When Big Brother was first launched in 1999, it was heralded as both a fascinating sociological study, and an exercise in pure voyeurism. A nation tuned in to see the first victims of the show enter the house, completely unaware of what format the programme would take, and what they may be subjected to.
At the time, these inmates were innocent, representing a pretty normal cross-section of society. As the shows popularity grew, the housemates were picked with different attributes in mind. Over time the residents of the house have become more and more outrageous. People who apply to the show to become residents fully understand the media frenzy and furore that will surround them through the time it is aired, and often far into the future.
A lack of moral decency?
Many people have criticized the producers of Big Brother, suggesting that the extreme environment and selection of individuals demonstrates a lack of humanity, moral decency and care. The programme has been through a number of high-profile debates surrounding bullying, racism, exploitation and unpleasantness. However, people still tune in night after night to watch the escapades of the house.
Working out the fascination
Prior to Big Brother, people did not have an accurate picture of how other people lived their lives. Issues such as homosexuality, transexuality, addiction, aggression or depression were not aired for public consumption. By introducing a host of different characters into the house and allowing society to act as voyeurs, people became party to the day-to-day activities and emotions of a cross-section of society, which was previously hidden from them.
Big Brother works, because on some level every viewer gains reassurance from it. Along with the desire to provoke emotions in order that watchers of the show can assess how residents react, it is also reassuring to see that other people experience the same hopes, fears and dreams as ourselves. When viewers tune in to watch other people live their lives, it is to gain insight into alternative sides of domesticity, in order that a comparison can take place.
Before Big Brother, the closest viewers could get to gratuitous voyeurism was through Soap Operas. Since the launch of this fascinating and provocative show, people have the opportunity to indulge their secret desire for comparison, in order to reassure themselves that the way they live their life is not so very different to the rest of society, after all.
A nation grieves
After the close of the show, some people are so distraught that it is no longer a part of their evening entertainment that counselling is provided and a helpline to assist people to adjust to life without it. This demonstrates the power of the series, illustrating the affection that many people develop for the characters in the house, and the routine of tuning in to see another flamboyant and fascinating set of people embark on the Big Brother journey.
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