Well it all had to end sometime and I am a bit sad to see the end of Big Brother UK. It was the first time that I watched the UK version of this program from the first to the last day and it was a real education in the culture of the UK and how much a show can take over the attention of a nation, even in its tenth year. I understand that BBC 4 will not be doing the show next year and that is a shame but I did get to spend my summer with all the house guests and I got to enjoy the drama of every moment. Unlike the US version where the ousted housemates get to vote on the winner, the UK Big Brother rely on the public to choose their winner. In a country consumed by the newspaper and magazine tabloids, the house guests become minor celebrities long after BB ends. I look forward to an update show highlighting their futures. So good on ya mates and thank you for an entertaining summer. Pop culture is rarely as riveting to be a voyeur to. And how can I not congratulate sweet and beautiful but dumb Sophie who won it all and if it couldn't be the 'Irrepressible Dark Horse' Marcus I was glad that it was Sophie. Sure she was dumb as a stump but she was easy for everyone to get along with and involved herself in very few of the moment of conflict and her popularity with the British people was undeniable. Sweet. Good on ya girl.
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6 comments:
Hey Calvin - sorry to rain on your parade, but this was by far the least successful of all the UK Big Brother series both in critical reception and in audience ratings. The tabloid press didn't seem to give a toss what was happening in the house and media coverage of the final night (which had made the BBC News in the past) was noticably scaled down. The general feeling I've got from scratching around the internet is that this series was a total damp squib.
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From the very first series I've been an avid follower of Big Brother UK; watching each evening's highlight's show (or recording it if necessary), catching up with reports on the live feed on DigitalSpy.co.uk forums, reading everything written about the show and just basically Really Getting Into It. This year, after watching the launch show, I found I had zero interest in it. It was a combination of the same old desperate wannabe famewhore freak housemates and the gimmicky "no housemates in the house" first task - it just smacked of desperation on Endemol/Channel 4's part.
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Furthermore, a large part of Big Brother's appeal has been the "live feed" - either online or via Channel 4's digital terrestrial television channel - which gave viewers 24 hour access to the house. This Live Feed enabled the more dedicated viewer to compare what they watched live with what Channel 4/Endemol decided to put in the following night's highlights package and make informed decisions (or create conspiracy theories) on how the edits were manipulating public opinion regarding certain "favoured" housemates. This year there was no live feed, leaving viewers at the mercy of the highlights show editing team and stripping away a lot of the "reality" from what was supposedly the king of all reality shows.
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The good news is that there is one final series left in the franchise, which should be broadcast next summer on Channel 4. Hopefully it will go out with a bang and not with a whimper, but knowing how useless Channel 4 has become lately, I don't hold out much hope.
Wow, you certainly schooled me on my opinion on Big Brother UK and instead of being insulted I am thankful to be informed by what I missed about this entire series. I am sure if BB 10 wasn't my first foray into this phenomina that I would be more in agreement with your insight. Thanks again for making the effort and being so thorough. I wish you would have been around for me to talk with during the entire production. Thanks again for your contribution to my blog.
Hey again Calvin. It's no problem for me to rant on about BB UK - as I said I've been a fan of the show since the beginning and it really pained me to have fallen out of love with it so severely this year. Sorry if I came across a bit agressive, that wasn't my intention at all.
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I too wish I was around to chat with you about previous seasons, it would have been a blast. Perhaps we can do it for the final one next year?
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By the way - I'm enjoying your blog very much - keep up the good work, eh!
As some one who lives in the UK I must say there is a large proportion of us who have zero interest in this TV drivel.
Tabloid TV at it's worst, this series will not be missed by that many in the UK and I must say that I for one am glad that I no longer have to put up with all the TV talk and discussion that goes on about a bunch of sad talentless wannabees that in no way reflect any good or accurate representation of the UK.
Sorry for the rant, I enjoy your blog, just hate reality TV...
I appreciate your comments. I too usually hate reality shows but watched it for the British aspects in the same way I enjoyed Law and Order UK and Torchwood this summer. Plus compared to the US version of Big Brother the UK version is practically Shakespeare. Thanks for your kind words and your visit. Feel free to visit anytime.
oh and adeR...its a date to watch the final BB UK next year.
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