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By: - 11th September 2010 at 20:10 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I have successfully avoided contact with this totally idiotic format since the trailer for the very first programme some years ago when I discovered that it was to be presented by the talentless Davina McCall. My opinion of her is based on my having seen - and heard - her screeching her way through the only episode of the awful show called Street Mate (or similar) that I managed to sit through.
Along with most other 'human interest' or so-called 'talent' shows the modern TV programme format seems to be aimed mainly at the phone-in fanatics and the Twitter/Facebook/iPhone-bore. With the forthcoming cuts in BBC budgets, this broadcaster will surely go in the same direction as the commercial channels: they have already started along this downward spiral with the likes of Dancing on Celebrity Ice and other such drivel.
Thank goodness for the OFF switch (and the Key Publishing forums)!
By: - 11th September 2010 at 20:29 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Cheers Big Brother is no more, but just what sort of low level idiotic rubbish will fill the space.
I can`t understand the constant demand for more channels etc, there are simply not enough programmes worth watching to fill the existing channels.
By: - 11th September 2010 at 20:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
never quite understood the idea of it..
if i want to watch mongs in a house i go round to my sisters while her friends are there !!
By: - 11th September 2010 at 20:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Cheers Big Brother is no more, but just what sort of low level idiotic rubbish will fill the space.I can`t understand the constant demand for more channels etc, there are simply not enough programmes worth watching to fill the existing channels.
channel 4 have dicided to spend the budget on drama instead - the reason you are getting this is england 86 presently !!
and whatever they have in the pipeline later
posibly a return to the channels early days when it produced some superb gritty dramas !!
By: - 11th September 2010 at 23:27 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Has to be one of the best examples of all that is wrong with "Reality" TV...cheap trash TV with a crowd of attention seeking muppets who are so flaming self serving as to be unbeleivable. It has about as much credence as a TV programme as Jeremy Kyle's abilities as a reconciliation expert !
Good riddance to bad rubbish , hopefully the various other Talent discovery / Celebrity island type sh**e will follow it into oblivion! :diablo:
By: - 12th September 2010 at 10:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
we can only hope !!
By: - 12th September 2010 at 11:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
we can only hope !!
Sums up my thoughts too!
By: - 12th September 2010 at 11:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
channel 4 have dicided to spend the budget on drama instead - the reason you are getting this is england 86 presently !!and whatever they have in the pipeline later
posibly a return to the channels early days when it produced some superb gritty dramas !!
We can but hope.............
By: - 13th September 2010 at 08:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That is one of a collection of TV shows I'll not miss
By: - 13th September 2010 at 08:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I did hear recently that Channel 4 will be spending the money on showing more feature films. This I like, as Channel 4 frequently show films as they are meant to be - uncut etc...
By: - 13th September 2010 at 11:32 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I should add that although a (small) proportion of the population seems to have truly hated Big Brother (even though most never even watched it), a much larger proportion enjoyed it very much. Inexplicably, those who disliked it seem to have spent a disproportional amount of time complaining about it.
Big Brother was by far the most successful and lucrative show ever screened on Channel 4. It was hugely popular and was still very popular when it ended, even though the media continually tried to imply that it wasn't. The viewing figures continually contradicted the endless whining in the newspapers from sneering (and often idiotic) commentators who had never watched more than a few minutes of the show, and foolishly believed that they would be perceived as being somehow more intelligent and "right on" if they criticised the show. Of course they merely looked like fools, sneering in the face of what became almost a national obsession. Frankly, many of the media's commentators should be truly ashamed of themselves for the inaccurate garbage that they have spewed-out over the years on this subject, simply in a rather lazy attempt to portray themselves as being somehow "informed" when they effectively illustrated that they actually hadn't got a clue,
Of course, the irony of this "I don't watch Big Brother so I must be Intelligent" attitude is that a surprisingly large number of very bright individuals freely admitted that they were Big Brother fans. Stephen Fry, Brian Sewell, Clive James, Kathy Burke and many others over the years have expressed their fascination for the show. While the idiotic sneering fools try to portray themselves as somehow brighter than the rest of us simply because they presumably watch more "worthy" television shows, an astonishing number of very bright, intelligent and articulate people have been glued to Big Brother, having understood the show for what it is, rather than what the media pretend it is.
It's far too easy to scoff. We all know that the show comprises of watching a bunch of idiots doing very little. What point is there in continually saying this year after year, as if it's some sort of revelation? We all know - that's the whole point of the show. The very point of the show is that it is fascinating tosimply watch how people behave. That's all there is to it really. Clearly, some people cannot enjoy such a simple format and need structure or fantasy or some other stimulation to capture their attention. But for so many of us there was a delight to be found in simply watching the bizarre ways in which people interact with each other, marvelling and the often-hilarious things that people say and do. It's a simple pleasure but it would be foolish to imagine that those who derive enjoyment from it are also simple...
As for Davina McCall, I think there's a generational issue here, indeed it was discussed on television recently. The affection for Davina that so many of us share comes from her history. She first appeared on television when MTV began broadcasting in the UK. She became a familiar face on our screens every day and many of us "grew up" with her as she moved-on to other shows such as Gods Gift, Streetmate and others. I can understand how those who were not part of the "MTV generation" might fail to understand the attractions of Miss McCall, but you have to understand that for so many of us, she's been a seminal part of our relationship with television.
Okay, I accept that we all have different tastes, but please don't jump on the anti-Big Brother bandwagon. It's far too easy to do and this silly sneering attitude simply flies in the face of the evidence of the past ten years. Like it or not, Big Brother has been a pivotal point in television history. It has had a far-reaching effect on television in many ways (admittedly not always for the better) and its influence cannot be underestimated. Channel 5 are still negotiating a purchase of the show and who could blame them? As has been said, it would become Channel 5's flagship show, drawing-in their biggest-ever audiences. Many commentators have already pointed-out that Channel 4 are probably already regretting their decision to pull-out. Okay, Endemol were demanding a hefty price, but there's no doubt that Channel 4's viewing figures will inevitably slump without the show - it was their biggest achievement. Feature films (as if we need any more) and drama like England 86 (which was utter garbage from the minute it began) is no way to replace a huge show like Big brother.
Like so many people, I'm genuinely depressed by the television choices that are now available to me, with Big Brother gone. I mean, what the hell is on television at present that is worth watching? I have no interest in tedious dramas, nor do I have any desire to watch John Nettles solve another murder (how many has he tackled now? He must deserve sainthood?). I don't have any interest in the carefully-staged "spontaneous" drama of wannabe pop stars being chosen for their three minutes of fame, and given the quality of the movies on offer ("trash" hardly describes what was on the box last night), I might as well send the television back to the retailer - which (oddly enough) is precisely what I said on Friday night when Big Brother ended!
I know that those of you in the "anti" brigade will have no idea of where I'm coming-from but for a lot of us, Friday night was very, very sad. It marked the end of more than ten years of sheer enjoyment for so many of us and although some people will have no idea why, a lot of us really are saddened by the show's departure. Even if it returns, it will probably never be quite the same again. It was calculated that those of us who watched every nightly show must have sat-though more than a thousand hours of television over the years. Do I regret that? Nope - I loved every minute of it!
By: - 13th September 2010 at 16:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just because it was lucrative and successful doesn't mean it was good television.
By: - 13th September 2010 at 17:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I should add that ....
We are all entitled to our opinion, clearly you are a fan ,im not .
By: - 13th September 2010 at 19:18 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
'It's far too easy to scoff. We all know that the show comprises of watching a bunch of idiots doing very little.'
So why watch it then?
Just because Stephen Fry, Brian Sewell, etc, need some light relief from having their ego massaged on 'serious' programmes doesn't mean it is good television.
By: - 14th September 2010 at 11:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Just because it was lucrative and successful doesn't mean it was good television
Actually, by definition it does! It was very good television. You simply happened not to like it.
By: - 14th September 2010 at 12:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
We all know that the show comprises of watching a bunch of idiots doing very little.
Well, I won’t argue with you there as that’s been my assessment of the little I’ve seen of it...
...but I can respect your argument if despite that you enjoy watching it!
As for ‘good’ television, I think we need a better definition; almost all popular things aren’t very ‘good’, soap operas, the X-Factor, Hello magazine, the Sun, Top Gear, the Daily Mail...
It would be nice to think that Big Brother will be replaced by some really ‘good’ historical/military/engineering documentaries (that nobody will watch).....but I won’t be holding my breath! :)
By: - 14th September 2010 at 12:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A film can sell well because people initially want to go and see it, and then the film can get slated by respectable critics. Similarly, something can have poor sales then later on have a massive following. My point is, it is all opinion and a few million viewers doesn't automatically make it noteworthy TV. Besides, say around 5m (average) viewers per series? Out of a population of about 60m? Not fantastic, eh.
I actually have no problem admitting I used to watch it when I lived in the UK. I didn't sit glued to the live stream or watch every add-on show, but would usually watch the nightly hour show if I could. However, I will be quick to admit there are far better things the money could be spent on and far better shows that could be broadcast in place of.
The first few series were perhaps borderline science, exploring how people in a confinement such as BB will interact. But after the producers realised how they could milk it for all it's worth and fill it with an unrealistic mix of people, it soon descended into nothing more than a live, dramatic game show, exploiting the contestants.
Channel 4 produce some excellent dramas and films and if nothing else, the money from BB could be spent on more excellent channel 4 documentaries, highlighting key events that have happened, that are happening and that will happen in the world.
By: - 14th September 2010 at 13:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Irrelevant to me whether it stays or goes, Some people enjoy it - Lord knows why from the hour or so I've seen over the years, mostly that idiot Scots MP making an exhibition of himself which is replayed endlessly.
But I do have a channel remote and do successfully avoid it mostly.
However..
Who is aware of the aviation connection? (That's a serious teaser question, not a moderators comment)
Moggy
By: - 14th September 2010 at 14:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well BB2 winner Brian Dowling was an air steward,but that seems a bit frivolous.
Since I can Google with the best of 'em,did you mean that The International Civil Aviation Organisation won the Privacy International Big Brother award ?
http://www.privacyinternational.org/article.shtml?cmd%5B347%5D=x-347-553112
By: - 14th September 2010 at 15:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Who is aware of the aviation connection?
I can’t think of an aviation connection to Big Brother unless it is something to do with Nineteen-Eighty-Four...
...however, I wonder how many of the fans of BB are even aware of that connection; not many I’m guessing? :rolleyes:
Unless the connection is ‘Airstrip One’.....but that’s a bit tenuous. :confused:
Posts: 255
By: repcobrab - 11th September 2010 at 18:38
Endured the last programme last night(outnumbered 4 to 1) and found it was an exercise in prolonging this much overrated format.
Looks like channel five will take up the challenge and continue to fill our screens with wannabe celebrities acting like imbeciles,and should someone die in the process ,well it all adds to the viewing figures.
The people who created Big Brother would have made exellent SS personell.