When the notorious _Big Brothe_r logo flashed across our screens during the 2022 Love Islandfinal, the nation went into meltdown. Some groaned and others rejoiced at the news that arguably the most groundbreaking reality TV show is making a comeback this year. Since its debut, over 500 series of the show have aired around the world in over 64 countries and regions. We all fell in love with Big Brother's trademark blend of romances, rivalries and blazing rows. But whilst the show has created many iconic moments and beloved characters, its reboot serves to remind us of the controversies and lessons that stemmed from the original franchise.
The year was 2000, and a new Channel 4 reality show was set to air. The premise of a group of strangers in a house under 24-hour surveillance was an unlikely ratings phenomenon. A new type of celebrity was born from the success after producers plucked contestants from obscurity and into the spotlight. Who could forget Nikki Grahame loudly proclaiming, 'Who IS she? Who IS she?' in the diary room. And Jane Connery's classic line, 'I’m bored shitless.' Or when ex-politician George Galloway infamously asked, 'Would you like me to be the cat?' When the show began, reality television was still a relatively new concept and early housemates found themselves catapulted to unexpected fame and fortune but did it help or hinder those people?
Former cast members have spoken out about their time on the show, with some claiming it 'ruined' their lives. Lisa Appleton starred in Big Brother during 2008. After a rollercoaster ride on the show alongside her then husband Mario Marconi - she left the show a household name. She claimed, 'Production wanted to do a fly on the wall programme with me and Mario, they told us we'd be the next Katie Price and Peter Andre.' But media interest in the pair dropped off and the programme destined to make Mario and Lisa the next big reality stars never happened. 'I lost everything, the stress broke my marriage up and I was homeless,' she claimed.
Schoolteacher Penny Ellis entered the Big Brother house in season two and was the first to be evicted after dropping her bath towel. She later admitted that she hadn’t expected the producers to show the indecent incident that left her naked on air. The show's producers placed an apology on the screen 15 minutes after the morning incident. But by then, of course, it was too late. Once Penny left the show, she learned she had been sacked from her job as a result as a result of the towel incident. 'It has been 20 years of being mocked, and jibed and ridiculed,' she told Premier Christianity magazine last year. 'I lost all my money, my reputation, my church, my job, my self-esteem, my friends, my home… those two weeks [in the house] I lost everything.'
A Channel Four spokesman said at the time that the content of the series was monitored during 'family viewing hours', but producers did not consider the footage offensive. 'We watch the content of the E4 broadcasts very carefully and endeavour to make sure any material that could be considered offensive is not broadcast during family viewing,' he said. Adding, 'When Penny dropped her bath towel it was clearly accidental and we do not consider it would cause undue offence.'
One of the most notable controversial moments happened during 2007's Celebrity Big Brother. Who could forget the racism row that erupted after British stars Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara verbally bullied fellow contestant Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actress. The broadcasting of the racist bullying sparked so much controversy that it was debated in parliament. In India, where Shetty is an A-list celebrity, the government called to have the show suspended.
Ofcom received more than 44,500 complaints over several incidents against the Bollywood actress. After a police investigation concluded that Goody, Lloyd and O’Meara had not committed a hate crime in the house, the watchdog decided to investigate whether Channel 4 breached viewing standards by allowing the incident to be aired. In conclusion, Ofcom imposed an official sanction on the network, directing them to broadcast a statement of their findings three times during the airing of the eighth series of Big Brother.
A lot has changed since the show was last on our screens, however, and Big Brother bosses have revealed they will be moving with the times. Paul Mortimer, ITV2’s director of reality commissioning, said, 'This refreshed, contemporary new series will contain all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round, but with a brand new look and additional twists that speak to today’s audience.'
Reality TV as a genre has progressed and the mega-popularity of shows like Love Island and its build-an-influencer conveyor belt have sparked the rise of a new kind of reality TV star; one in which social media plays a central role. Now the type of fame that comes from a reality show could last longer than 15 minutes (like stand out stars Molly-Mae Hague or Maura Higgins).
But it also brings a new level of pressure for contestants and we are now highly aware of the effects reality TV can have on mental health. The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled in 2019 after the death of a contestant. Afterwards, it emerged more people who had appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show had subsequently taken their own lives. Since Love Island first aired in 2016, two former contestants have taken their own lives – Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis – and Caroline Flack, the show’s former host, also took her own life in 2020.
Reality TV can also affect those watching from home. According to a 2021 YouGov survey of 4,505 UK adults, almost one in four people (24%) aged 18-24 say reality TV makes them worry about their body image.
Whilst it was not found that these tragic deaths happened as a direct result of Love Island, since then ITV have made the welfare and after-care of the Islanders an even bigger priority. But with the added pressure of social media, are the new Big Brother viewers, producers, and contestants, equipped for a modern reboot of a show that requires 24-hour surveillance of its contestants?
Most of the nation are excited for Big Brother's return, with new hostsAJ Oduduand Will Best at the helm, it will certainly be a modern twist on the classic. As viewers, we can only hope that the housemates wellbeings are of paramount concern.