HOW BIG BROTHER CHANGED BRITAIN

How The UK’s Biggest Reality Show Changed A Country…

In just a couple of week’s time Big Brother will be returning to UK TV screens for it’s 11th and final series (exempting 7 seasons of Celebrity Big Brother and three other spin off shows!)
For Brits this really is the end of an era – Big Brother has been a summer staple since the year 2000, and unlike the US version which has never become more than a cult hit at best, Big Brother UK is a TV phenomenon. At its peak the show averaged over 5 million viewers EVERY DAY, which for a country with just 60 million inhabitants, is darn impressive. And most of those viewers were in the coveted youth demo. Simply put – for a generation of Brits, Big Brother was essential TV.

I am of course biased, as I worked on the very first Big Brother back in 2000, taking care of the contestants and their families. It was a very memorable summer, as absolute unknowns became front-page news overnight, and though few could turn their sudden fame into long term success, for one brief shining moment, our contestants were the most famous people in Britain. It’s hard to explain just how big Brother Brother UK was at its peak –the contestants were featured on virtually every single tabloid front cover, every day. It was the definition of water cooler TV.

When I moved to the US back in 2005 I tried to watch Big Brother USA – and quickly gave up. American Big Brother is everything the British version isn’t – manufactured, filled with pretty (boring) people and over-produced. By contrast the UK version airs every single night during its summer run, with Friday live evictions, as well as live feeds 24-7. The show therefore allows viewers to see all the quiet, character building moments going on in the house – and has more of a, dare I say it, documentary feel…

And as for those contestants – wow, what a bunch! There was Craig the Liverpool builder, who ended up winning season 1 and became a TV DIY expert. Camp air steward Brian – charming and funny and hugely likeable. Bitches like Charley and Grace. Hyperactive Nikki and her in house lover Pete (who famously had Tourettes). Nasty Nick – the UK equivalent to Richard Hatch. There were twins, witches, Russian boxers, rappers, immigrants, pensioners – you name it, all went into the Big Brother house. And all hell broke loose.

You see unlike American Big Brother which has to adhere to network standards, Big Brother airs after the 9pm ‘watershed’ on Channel Four and thus pretty much anything goes on the sex and swearing front (violence is frowned upon but still largely allowed). Many contestants had sex in the Big Brother house, and Kinga famously fellated herself with a bottle. Arguments became heated and sometimes violent – most notoriously in Season Five’s Fight Night –where the police were called and the housemates separated after a night of plate throwing, screaming and pushing. And even politicians were pulled into the debate – as in Celebrity Big Brother 5 – when the housemates began bullying Bollywood film star Shilpa Shetty with thinly disguised racist taunts.

Big Brother had drama, arguments and bitching to spare – alongside some of the cleverest twists ever seen on a reality show. It was fantastically well produced at times. But alongside all the OTT moments the show also did something very important – it opened up British society and made the country even more liberal. People who had never known gay men and women in their ordinary lives suddenly found themselves voting for Brian or Josh or Richard. A transsexual won Season 5. Class, race, sexuality and gender all found themselves under the microscope. And throughout it all the show was fantastically entertaining.

Of course all good things come to an end. By the end of Season 10, Big Brother had slumped in the ratings and though Celebrity Big Brother still does strong business, it’s probably time to rest the show for a while.

For those of you who’ve never seen UK Big Brother and wonder what it’s all about – here’s a recent Big Brother ‘Awards’ special – a fun excuse to revisit some of the best moments over the last 10 years, anchored by the Big Brother Queen, Davina McCall (who has more life in her toenail than the comatose Julie Chen)…

Dramatic, funny, sad and shocking. Big Brother – you will be missed…