120-452: Big Brother is the British version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997. Broadcast yearly from 18 July 2000 to 5 November 2018, and returned on 8 October 2023, the show follows the format of other national editions, in which a group of contestants, known as "housemates", live together in a specially constructed house that
240-518: A Mormon splinter group), Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia (the Amish ), and Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and its spinoffs ( Romani people ). The Real Housewives franchise offers a window into the lives of social-striving urban and suburban housewives. Many shows focus on wealth and conspicuous consumption , including Platinum Weddings , and My Super Sweet 16 , which documented huge coming of age celebrations thrown by wealthy parents. Conversely,
360-577: A nuclear family (filmed in 1971) going through a divorce; unlike many later reality shows, it was more or less documentary in purpose and style. In 1974 a counterpart program, The Family , was made in the UK, following the working-class Wilkins family of Reading . Other forerunners of modern reality television were the 1970s productions of Chuck Barris : The Dating Game , The Newlywed Game , and The Gong Show , all of which featured participants who were eager to sacrifice some of their privacy and dignity in
480-413: A "small uptake" of subscriptions in the previous year. The feeds did return the following year, though required viewers to pay a fee, for what was at the time slated to be the show's final series. Following the show's move to Channel 5, the live feeds have not been featured for any subsequent series. In 2013, it was announced that the live feed would return in the form of a two-hour nightly show that featured
600-468: A 2003 paper, theorists Elisabeth Klaus and Stephanie Lücke referred to the former category as "docusoaps", which consist of "narrative reality", and the latter category as "reality soaps", which consist of "performative reality". Since 2014, the Primetime Emmy Awards have used a similar classification, with separate awards for " unstructured reality " and " structured reality " programs, as well as
720-450: A Reality or Reality-Competition Program , was added. In 2007, the web series The Next Internet Millionaire appeared; it was a competition show based in part on The Apprentice , and was billed as the world's first Internet reality show. In 2010 the Dutch singing competition show The Voice of Holland , created by John de Mol Jr. , premiered; it added to the singing competition template
840-443: A camera crew on an outdoor adventure , such as hunting , fishing , hiking, scuba diving , rock climbing, wildlife photography, horseback riding, race car driving, and the like, with most of the resulting action and dialogue being unscripted, except for the narration. In the 1966 Direct Cinema film Chelsea Girls , Andy Warhol filmed various acquaintances with no direction given. The Radio Times Guide to Film 2007 said that
960-578: A celebrity going about their everyday life: notable examples include The Anna Nicole Show , The Osbournes , Gene Simmons Family Jewels , Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica , Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Hogan Knows Best . VH1 in the mid-2000s had an entire block of such shows, known as "Celebreality". Shows such as these are often created with the idea of promoting a celebrity product or upcoming project. Some documentary-style shows shed light on rarely seen cultures and lifestyles. One example
1080-430: A distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World , then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor , Idol , and Big Brother , all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this
1200-489: A group of psychologists discussing the events of the house. The second series aired six nights a week during the premiere week, though was reduced to only five days afterwards, not airing on Saturday or Sunday. This series featured two eviction episodes as well, though only featured a ninety-minute gap between the two. Big Brother 3 was the first series to air every night each week, and every series after that featured only thirty minutes between eviction episodes. The third series
1320-531: A group to complete their tasks, with the format of the tasks varying based on the number of remaining housemates. Throughout the series, some housemates have been given secret tasks that must be completed individually or with a small group; failure to do so can result in the housemate being nominated or punished. Should the housemates run out of the food provided for them, an emergency ration is available to them. The housemates are forbidden from discussing nominations, and doing so could result in punishment. The format of
SECTION 10
#17328593590011440-401: A housemate, and the housemate with the fewest votes would be evicted. Beginning with the fourteenth series, the vote to evict format returned to the series. During the eighteenth series, both vote to save and vote to evict were used. The voting process can be done via telephone or online. When the final week arrives, the viewers vote for which of the remaining housemates should win the series, and
1560-502: A live look into the House; the show was cancelled in June of that year, reportedly due to low ratings. Despite this, the feed was re-instated onto the official Channel 5 website for the remainder of the fourteenth series. Numerous spin-off series have aired immediately after or shortly following the highlight and live episodes. Big Brother's Big Mouth , aired following the highlight shows. The show
1680-539: A more psychological analysis of the series; it aired for two series, being renamed Big Brother: On the Couch for its second and final series. Big Brother's Bit on the Side was aired seven nights a week on Channel 5 and 5* , either immediately following or an hour after the nightly episode. Live from the House , which features a live feed into the house, airs immediately following the live eviction episode. The opening theme for
1800-412: A new extension to the house, which would be its biggest renovation since it was built in 2002. The documents teased a second house with another garden and a new exterior set and interview studio. The old eviction set and eye studio were both demolished following the conclusion of Celebrity Big Brother 17 . It was later announced on 18 March 2016 that permission had been granted with no objections. Despite
1920-436: A one-time series and involved six celebrities staying in the house for eight days. Following the success of the series, Celebrity Big Brother went on to become an annual production, much like the main series. Following widespread media attention involving racism during the fifth series , the show was not broadcast the following year. The show returned in 2009, and the final series to air on Channel 4 aired in 2010. Following
2040-432: A ratings hit. It featured a 24-hour live feed in which fans could view inside the house at any time. Big Brother aired for eleven series on Channel 4, followed by one final special edition, Ultimate Big Brother , which ended in 2010. Channel 5 acquired the rights to the series, and relaunched it in 2011. On the day of the nineteenth series launch in 2018, Channel 5 announced that Big Brother would not be returning to
2160-424: A ratings success since it premiered, with the first eviction tally receiving 387,000 votes. The eviction episode itself received a total of 3.4 million viewers. The series continued to have successful viewership, with the third series finale reaching over 9.9 million viewers. The vote for the third series finale saw over 8.6 million viewers voting for whom should win the series. A number of books have been written about
2280-460: A shorter version of the main series wherein the cast is composed solely of celebrities. Numerous other spin-off series that are not competition based have aired, with Dermot O'Leary , Russell Brand , George Lamb , Emma Willis and Rylan Clark all presenting spin-offs. The Big Brother reality series was created by John de Mol Jr. and premiered in the Netherlands . Following the success of
2400-450: A teaser trailer during the final of the eighth series of Love Island , officially confirming that the series would return for a new series in 2023 on ITV2 and ITVX , which resulted the switch from its usual summer slot to an autumn slot instead, to avoid the scheduling clash with the rival reality show Love Island . The series was confirmed to run for "up to six weeks" with housemates coming from "all walks of life". Eight months after
2520-440: A televised competition. The 1976–1980 BBC series The Big Time featured a different amateur in some field (cooking, comedy, football, etc.) trying to succeed professionally in that field, with help from notable experts. The 15-episode series is credited with starting the career of Sheena Easton , who was selected to appear in the episode showing an aspiring pop singer trying to enter the music business. In 1978, Living in
SECTION 20
#17328593590012640-466: A third award for " reality-competition " programs. In many reality television programs, camera shooting and footage editing give the viewer the impression that they are passive observers following people going about their daily personal and professional activities; this style of filming is sometimes referred to as fly on the wall , observational documentary or factual television . Story "plots" are often constructed via editing or planned situations, with
2760-677: A top athlete and celebrity, the brutal nature of the murders, and issues of race and class in Los Angeles celebrity culture, the sensational case dominated ratings and the public conversation. Many reality television stars of the 2000s and 2010s have direct or indirect connections to people involved in the case, most notably Kim Kardashian , daughter of defense attorney Robert Kardashian , and several of her relatives and associates. The series Expedition Robinson , created by television producer Charlie Parsons, which first aired in 1997 in Sweden (and
2880-450: A £200 million two-year contract with Endemol to screen Big Brother from 18 August 2011. Big Brother 2 and Ultimate winner Brian Dowling was announced as the new presenter. McCall declined the offer to present, having said goodbye to the show in 2010. On 3 May 2011, Endemol and Channel 5 officially opened the process for people to apply to be on the show. The twelfth series officially launched on 9 September 2011. Aaron Allard-Morgan
3000-413: Is a murder-mystery novel in a setting similar to that of Big Brother . In October 2008, E4 aired the horror series Dead Set which was set during a fictional series of Big Brother . The series featured numerous former housemates, as well as presenter Davina McCall in various roles throughout the series. Since its inception, Big Brother has come under fire for reports of bullying, racism, rigging, and
3120-536: Is isolated from the outside world. Live television cameras and personal audio microphones continuously monitor them. Throughout the competition, housemates are "evicted" from the house by public televoting . The last remaining housemate wins the competition and a cash prize. The series takes its name from the oppressive character known by that name in George Orwell 's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The series premiered in 2000 on Channel 4 and immediately became
3240-542: Is meant to resemble scripted soap operas – in this case, the television series Desperate Housewives and Peyton Place . A notable subset of such series focus on a group of women who are romantically connected to male celebrities; these include Basketball Wives (2010), Love & Hip Hop (2011), Hollywood Exes (2012), Ex-Wives of Rock (2012) and WAGS (2015). Most of these shows have had spin-offs in multiple locations. There are also fly-on-the-wall-style shows directly involving celebrities. Often these show
3360-494: Is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves. Documentaries , television news , sports television , talk shows , and traditional game shows are generally not classified as reality television. Some genres of television programming that predate
3480-542: Is shows about people with disabilities or people who have unusual physical circumstances, such as the American series Push Girls and Little People, Big World , and the British programmes Beyond Boundaries , Britain's Missing Top Model , The Undateables and Seven Dwarves . Another example is shows that portray the lives of ethnic or religious minorities. Examples include All-American Muslim ( Lebanese-American Muslims ), Shahs of Sunset (affluent Persian-Americans ), Sister Wives (polygamists from
3600-518: Is still ongoing. The program was structured as a series of interviews with no element of the plot. By virtue of the attention paid to the participants, it effectively turned ordinary people into a type of celebrity, especially after they became adults. The series The American Sportsman , which ran from 1965 to 1986 on ABC in the United States, would typically feature one or more celebrities, and sometimes their family members, being accompanied by
3720-598: The United Kingdom in 1964, the Granada Television documentary Seven Up! broadcast interviews with a dozen ordinary 7-year-olds from a broad cross-section of society and inquired about their reactions to everyday life. Every seven years, the filmmaker created a new film documenting the lives of the same individuals during the intervening period. Titled the Up Series , episodes included "7 Plus Seven", "21 Up", etc.; it
Big Brother (British TV series) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3840-476: The nineteenth series would be the last on Channel 5. Cameron Cole was the winner of the final series and the programme's youngest. Big Brother ended on Channel 5 in November 2018. The nineteenth series was also Willis' last appearance as host. In April 2022, it was reported that ITV Studios were in talks with Banijay , who own the rights to Big Brother , to revive the show in 2023. On 1 August 2022, ITV aired
3960-646: The 1950s, game shows Beat the Clock and Truth or Consequences involved contestants in wacky competitions, stunts, and practical jokes. Confession was a crime and police show that aired from June 1958 to January 1959, with interviewer Jack Wyatt questioning criminals from assorted backgrounds. The radio series Nightwatch (1951–1955) tape-recorded the daily activities of Culver City, California police officers. The series You Asked for It (1950–1959) incorporated audience involvement by basing episodes around requests sent in by postcard from viewers. First broadcast in
4080-654: The 2018–19 and 2019–20 television seasons. The success of the two franchises has led to other globally-syndicated franchises of reality competitions based around guesswork, such as Game of Talents (which began in Spain in 2019) and The Masked Dancer (which began in the United States in 2020). Specialist skill-based TV competitions became popular during this decade with such programs like The Great British Bake-Off , Lego Masters , The Great British Sewing Bee and Forged in Fire shown. Television development across all genres
4200-465: The 21st century, the series is often considered a prototype of reality television programming. In the early 1940s the young German television station, named after Paul Nipkow had staged a show in which a young couple acted as model Aryans and presented their everyday lives without a script to the camera ( Familienchroniken - Ein Abend mit Hans und Gelli ). Even though it was clearly Nazi propaganda and
4320-438: The 3 Mills Studios. After planning permission expired in 2002, Newham London Borough Council ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat. The house had been located at Elstree Studios , Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since Big Brother 3 in 2002. Following a break in during the second series, it was reported that security had increased to the point that the house was more secure than Buckingham Palace . The interior of
4440-508: The Bounty Hunter , Police Stop! , Traffic Cops , Border Security and Motorway Patrol . Shows set at a specific place of business include American Chopper , Miami Ink and its spinoffs, Bikini Barbershop and Lizard Lick Towing . Shows that show people working in the same non-business location include Airport and Bondi Rescue . Brian Dowling (presenter) Too Many Requests If you report this error to
4560-631: The Dutch production company Endemol . Although Dragons' Den originated in Japan , most of its adaptations are based on the British version.) In India, the competition show Indian Idol was the most popular television program for its first six seasons. During the 2000s, several cable networks, including Bravo , A&E , E! , TLC , History , VH1 , and MTV , changed their programming to feature mostly reality television series. In addition, three cable channels were started around that time that were devoted exclusively to reality television: Fox Reality in
4680-471: The Past had amateurs participating in a re-enactment of life in an Iron Age English village. Producer George Schlatter capitalized on the advent of videotape to create Real People , a surprise hit for NBC, and it ran from 1979 to 1984. The success of Real People was quickly copied by ABC with That's Incredible , a stunt show produced by Alan Landsburg and co-hosted by Fran Tarkenton ; CBS's entry into
4800-472: The Stars , and the investment franchise Dragons' Den . Several " reality game shows " from the same period have had even greater success, including Deal or No Deal , Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , and Weakest Link , with over 50 international adaptions each. (All but four of these franchises, Top Model , Project Runway , The Biggest Loser and Dragons' Den , were created by either British producers or
4920-522: The U.S. and is syndicated in over 100 countries worldwide. In 2001, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences added the reality genre to the Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Reality Program . In 2003, to better differentiate between competition and informational reality programs, a second category, Outstanding Reality-Competition Program , was added. In 2008, a third category, Outstanding Host for
Big Brother (British TV series) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5040-473: The U.S. networks used reality series and other unscripted content (including those delayed from their summer lineups) to fill gaps in their schedules while the production of scripted programming resumed. There have been various attempts to classify reality television shows into different subgenres: Another categorization divides reality television into two types: shows that purport to document real life, and shows that place participants in new circumstances. In
5160-486: The U.S. states of Alaska , Louisiana and Texas , shows about cakes, weddings and pawnbrokers , and shows, usually competition-based, whose title includes the word "Wars". Duck Dynasty (2012–2017), which focused on the Robertson family that founded Duck Commander , in 2013 became the most popular reality series in U.S. cable television history. Its fourth-season premiere was viewed by nearly 12 million viewers in
5280-459: The U.S., which they attributed to "The diminishing returns of cable TV's sea of reality sameness". They noted that a number of networks that featured reality programming, including Bravo and E!, were launching their first scripted shows, and others, including AMC , were abandoning plans to launch further reality programs; though they clarified that the genre as a whole "isn't going anywhere." Ratings and profits from reality TV continued to decline in
5400-538: The United States, most of which were in rural markets. Its rural audience share ranked in the 30s, an extremely high number for any series, broadcast or cable. Following from the 1900 House format, the BBC produced a series called Back in Time for Tea in which a family would experience tea time for various decades. In 2014, Entertainment Weekly and Variety again noted a stagnation in reality television programs' ratings in
5520-420: The United States, reality television programs suffered a temporary decline in viewership in 2001, leading some entertainment industry columnists to speculate that the genre was a temporary fad that had run its course. Reality shows that suffered from low ratings included The Amazing Race (although the show has since recovered and is in its 32nd edition), Lost (unrelated to the better-known serial drama of
5640-777: The United States, which operated from 2005 to 2010; Global Reality Channel in Canada , which lasted two years from 2010 to 2012; and CBS Reality (formerly known as Reality TV and then Zone Reality) in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which has run from 1999 to the present. During the early part of the 2000s, network executives expressed concern that reality-television programming was limited in its appeal for DVD reissue and syndication . But DVDs for reality shows sold briskly; Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County , The Amazing Race , Project Runway , and America's Next Top Model all ranked in
5760-584: The action to George Orwell 's dystopian science-fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four , from which the show Big Brother takes its name , arguing that the editing of the episode represented a "key tenant of the novel: old media being edited and original versions destroyed, leaving no trace of any modification having taken place." Reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as
5880-471: The appearance and structure of soap operas. Such shows often focus on a close-knit group of people and their shifting friendships and romantic relationships. One highly influential such series was the American 2004–2006 series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County , which attempted to specifically mimic the primetime soap opera The O.C. , which had begun airing in 2003. Laguna Beach had a more drama-like feel than any previous reality television show, through
6000-500: The channel after the end of that series. In 2020, Channel 4 announced that previous episodes of Big Brother would be shown on E4 in a series titled Big Brother: Best Shows Ever to mark the 20th anniversary of the programme. Two years later, in August 2022, it was announced by ITV that Big Brother would return for a new series on ITV2 the following year. The show was relaunched for a second time in 2023. In November 2024, ITV announced
6120-449: The concept of putting strangers together in a limited environment for an extended period of time and recording the drama that ensued. Nummer 28 also pioneered many of the stylistic conventions that have since become standard in reality television shows, including extensive use of soundtrack music and the interspersing of events on screen with after-the-fact "confessionals" recorded by cast members, which serve as narration. Nummer 28 became
SECTION 50
#17328593590016240-642: The conclusion of the nineteenth series, work began to demolish the house at Elstree Studios. On 17 February 2019, former presenter Emma Willis posted a photo on her Instagram account showing that demolition work on the house was complete. Following the announcement of the ITV reboot, speculation began as to where the new house would be built. In May 2023, it was confirmed that the house would be located at Garden Studios in North London and included "versatile staging", as well as an "in-house virtual production studio". During
6360-809: The episodes were certainly affected by censorship , in recent years the show has been presented more frequently as the oldest reality TV show in the world. Precedents for television that portrayed people in unscripted situations began in the late 1940s. Queen for a Day (1945–1964) was an early example of reality-based television. The 1946 television game show Cash and Carry sometimes featured contestants performing stunts. Debuting in 1948, Allen Funt 's hidden camera show Candid Camera (based on his previous 1947 radio show, The Candid Microphone ) broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks. In 1948, talent search shows, such as Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts , featured amateur competitors and audience voting. In
6480-405: The evicted housemate. Future presenters altered this. Big Brother is a game show in which a group of contestants, referred to as housemates, live in isolation from the outside world in a custom-built "house", constantly under video surveillance. During their time in the house, the housemates are required to nominate two of their fellow contestants for potential eviction, and the two or more with
6600-576: The favorite or underdog to win. Other criticisms of reality television shows include that they are intended to humiliate or exploit participants; that they make stars out of untalented people unworthy of fame, infamous figures, or both; and that they glamorize vulgarity. Television formats portraying ordinary people in unscripted situations are almost as old as the television medium itself. Producer-host Allen Funt 's Candid Camera , in which unsuspecting people were confronted with funny, unusual situations and filmed with hidden cameras, first aired in 1948. In
6720-488: The film was "to blame for reality television". In 1969, the British rock group the Beatles were filmed for a month during the recording sessions which would become their album Let It Be and released the homonymous film the following year. In 2021, director Peter Jackson created an eight-hour, three-episode television series entitled The Beatles: Get Back . The 12-part 1973 PBS series An American Family showed
6840-401: The fourteenth series onwards until its cancellation from Channel 5. On 25 April 2023, ITV announced AJ Odudu and Will Best as hosts of both the main show and a "nightly spin-off" show. Marcus Bentley served as the off-screen narrator of all series since the show premiered in 2000. Big Brother has had numerous spin-off series occur since its premiere, most notably Celebrity Big Brother ,
6960-487: The genre was That's My Line , a series hosted by Bob Barker . The Canadian series Thrill of a Lifetime , a fantasies-fulfilled reality show, originally ran from 1982 to 1988. It was revived from 2001 to 2003. In 1985, underwater cinematographer Al Giddings teamed with former Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly on the NBC series Oceanquest , which chronicled Weatherly's adventures scuba diving in various exotic locales. Weatherly
7080-548: The highly successful Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty are set in poorer rural areas of the Southern United States . Some documentary-style shows portray professionals either going about day-to-day business or performing an entire project over the course of a series. One early example (and the longest running reality show of any genre) is Cops , which debuted in 1989. Other such shows specifically relating to law enforcement include The First 48 , Dog
7200-400: The house has changed each year, reflecting a certain theme or twist in the game. The fifth series, which featured stricter rules and consequences, featured a harsh colour scheme and a claustrophobic setting. The third series featured a "Rich and Poor" twist, thus a row of bars was placed in the centre of the house to divide the housemates. The diary room features a different design each year, and
7320-417: The housemate with the most votes becomes the winner. The prize fund has varied throughout the series, ranging from £50,000 to £150,000. During their time in the house, housemates are given weekly tasks. The housemates wager a portion of their weekly shopping budget on the task and either win double their wagered fund or lose the wagered fund depending on their performance. The housemates are required to work as
SECTION 60
#17328593590017440-422: The housemates at any time. With the series debut in 2000, the twenty-four-hour live feed was introduced which was available at any time to viewers for free. The live feed featured an estimated ten-minute delay to comply with broadcasting standards. Beginning with the second series, the live feed became available on E4 as well. In 2009, it was confirmed that the live feeds would not return for the tenth series due to
7560-521: The initial series, it was confirmed that editions for both the United Kingdom and the United States were in the works. In March 2000, it was revealed that the series would be broadcast by Channel 4 and E4 ; casting began shortly afterward, and Davina McCall MBE was later revealed to be the presenter. The first series premiered on 18 July 2000, and ended when housemate Craig Phillips was crowned
7680-430: The late 2010s. The South Korean competition show I Can See Your Voice , which premiered in 2015, showed guest judges attempting to guess which of a group of contestants could sing, and which could not, without hearing them sing. The show was successful, and spawned several imitators, most notably King of Mask Singer several months later. King of Mask Singer was a more traditional singing competition show, but with
7800-470: The long-running reality television show franchises in the United States, such as American Idol , Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor , had begun to see declining ratings. However, reality television as a whole remained durable in the U.S., with hundreds of shows across many channels. In 2012, New York Magazine's Vulture blog published a humorous Venn diagram showing popular themes across American reality shows then running, including shows set in
7920-507: The model for many later series of Big Brother and its clones, and Peter Weir's full-length film The Truman Show . One year later, the same concept was used by MTV in its new series The Real World . Nummer 28 creator Erik Latour has long claimed that The Real World was directly inspired by his show. But the producers of The Real World have said that their direct inspiration was An American Family . According to television commentator Charlie Brooker , this type of reality television
8040-448: The more common 16:9 widescreen format seen by other series at the time. Beginning in 2006 with the seventh series, the show was broadcast in the 16:9 format. Following the show's move to Channel 5, it was broadcast in HD. The series can be viewed on Demand 5 , a branch of Channel 5, after it airs. Aside from the main series, the show featured a live feed into the house where viewers could watch
8160-511: The most successful former housemates. Following the initial conclusion of the series in 2010, a special titled Jade Goody: Ultimate Housemate aired on Channel 4 in memory of Goody. Housemates such as Alison Hammond , Brian Dowling , and Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace have enjoyed considerable success appearing in television series and reality television following their appearance on Big Brother . Housemates Nadia Almada , Craig Phillips , and Nichola Holt all released music following their appearance on
8280-421: The most votes would be nominated. This process is mandatory for all housemates, and failure to comply could result in expulsion from the house. During the show's broadcast on Channel 4, the viewers would vote to evict one of the nominated housemates. The housemate with the most votes would be removed from the house. The twelfth and thirteenth series, the first two to air under Channel 5, saw the public voting to save
8400-402: The necessary viewers to make it worthwhile. (Even in these cases, it is not always successful: the first ten seasons of Dancing with the Stars were picked up by GSN in 2012 and was run in marathon format, but attracted low viewership and had very poor ratings). Another option is to create documentaries around series, including extended interviews with the participants and outtakes not seen in
8520-411: The new series was announced, it was revealed that AJ Odudu and Will Best would co-host both the main show and sideshow. Odudu and Best's appointment marked the first appearances of double hosts, instead of a single host format from the past nineteen series. The twentieth series began on 8 October 2023, and comprised 36 episodes, with the live final taking place on 17 November 2023, where Jordan Sangha
8640-534: The only spin-off series now airing. " Big Brother house, this is Davina. You are live on Channel 4; please do not swear. (nominated housemates' names), the lines are closed; the votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal that the n th person to be evicted from the Big Brother House is...(evicted housemate's name(s)). (Evicted housemate's name), you have 30 seconds to say your goodbyes; I'm coming to get you!" — McCall's speech when announcing
8760-406: The original airings; the syndicated series American Idol Rewind is an example of this strategy. COPS has had huge success in syndication, direct response sales, and DVD. A Fox staple since 1989, COPS has, as of 2013 (when it moved to cable channel Spike ), outlasted all competing scripted police shows. Another series that had wide success is Cheaters , which has been running since 2000 in
8880-445: The overall extension, the new outdoor set was smaller than before, holding a capacity of just 400 compared to 470 beforehand. From Celebrity Big Brother 19 in 2017 until the show's cancellation on Channel 5 the following year, "The Other House" used in the seventeenth regular series was referred to as "The Task Building" making it the house's third task room along with the small and large task room. In January 2019, two months after
9000-408: The overall viewership tallies for eight consecutive years, from the 2003–2004 to the 2010–2011 television seasons. Another trend was to combine reality TV with a social history angle usually by having contestants taken back to various time periods primarily to see how millennials would cope without modern technology. Examples included The 1900 House , and Bad Lad's Army . In addition to those
9120-407: The physical and mental strain of appearing on the series. In October 2024, ITV edited an episode of the series to remove all images of a watermelon symbol that appeared on the shirt of contestant Ali Bromley. Watermelon, which shares the same colours as the flag of Palestine , has been used as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity since the 1960s. Writing for The Intercept , Nikita Mazurov compared
9240-467: The premiere series, the show aired six nights a week, being every night excluding Saturday. The eviction episodes and final aired on Fridays; after series presenter McCall announced the evictee, they had two hours to pack their belongings and exit the house during a second episode airing that night. The remaining five weekly shows were highlight episodes, which lasted an hour in length; the Sunday episode featured
9360-524: The previous series, the show lasted for 64 days and saw Kate Lawler win the prize. With the third series finding even more success than its predecessors, a fourth series began on 23 May 2003. The series was one of the first to feature numerous twists throughout the series, including nominations on the first night and swapping a housemate with a housemate from the African edition of the series . The series concluded after 64 days, with Cameron Stout being crowned
9480-699: The reality television boom have been retroactively classified as reality television, including hidden camera shows, talent-search shows, documentary series about ordinary people, high-concept game shows, home improvement shows, and court shows featuring real-life cases and issues. Reality television has faced significant criticism since its rise in popularity. Critics argue that reality television shows do not accurately reflect reality, in ways both implicit (participants being placed in artificial situations), and deceptive (misleading editing, participants being coached on behavior, storylines generated ahead of time, scenes being staged). Some shows have been accused of rigging
9600-416: The results resembling soap operas – hence the terms docusoap and docudrama . Documentary-style programs give viewers a private look into the lives of the subjects. Within documentary-style reality television are several subcategories or variants: Although the term "docusoap" has been used for many documentary-style reality television shows, there have been shows that have deliberately tried to mimic
9720-493: The revamped MasterChef , among others. The 1980s and 1990s were also a time when tabloid talk shows became more popular. Many of these featured the same types of unusual or dysfunctional guests who would later become popular as cast members of reality shows. Reality television became globally popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the successes of the Big Brother and Survivor / Expedition Robinson franchises. In
9840-520: The same name ) and The Mole (which was successful in other countries). But stronghold shows Survivor and American Idol continued to thrive: both topped the U.S. season-average television ratings in the 2000s. Survivor led the ratings in 2001–02 , and Idol has the longest hold on the No. 1 rank in the American television ratings , dominating over all other primetime programs and other television series in
9960-427: The series intros, created the eye logo for the twelfth and thirteenth series following the show's move to Channel 5. The fourteenth to eighteenth series logos were created by the design studio Shop. Since its premiere, Big Brother has been the centre of much publicity, and has received much media attention. The series often receives coverage from tabloid newspapers , magazines, and online bloggers. The series has been
10080-463: The series is mainly seen as a social experiment, and requires housemates to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices. Housemates are also required to make visits to the diary room during their stay in the house, where they are able to share their thoughts and feelings on their fellow housemates and the game. For the first two series, the house was located in Bow, London , near
10200-461: The series premiered, there have been numerous remixes and changes made to the song. The original theme by Oakenfeld and Gray was used through the first five series, however was later replaced by a revamped version from the sixth series onward. The song was remixed with a Christmas theme to promote Big Brother Panto in 2004, while a carnival themed edition was made to promote the final series to air on Channel 4. The intro to each series, which featured
10320-471: The series was both written and produced by Elementfour , which was a collaboration between Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray . Following the success of the first series, the theme was released as a single on 28 August 2000. The single proved to be successful, reaching number 4 on the UK Singles Chart . The theme was also featured on the soundtrack for the first series, which was released that same year. Since
10440-510: The series would return for a third series in 2025. The programme was initially presented by Davina McCall MBE from its inception in July 2000 until its cancellation by Channel 4 ten years later. McCall declined to return as presenter following the programme's move to Channel 5, and the role was taken up by former series winner Brian Dowling . He remained as presenter throughout the twelfth and thirteenth series. Emma Willis later replaced Dowling from
10560-517: The series, including Big Brother: The Official Unseen Story by Jean Ritchie ( ISBN 978-0-7522-1912-7 ), The Psychology of Big Brother by Dan Jones ( ISBN 978-1-4092-2825-7 ), and Visible Thought: The New Psychology of Body Language by Geoffrey Beattie ( ISBN 978-0-415-30810-6 ). Narinder Kaur, who had previously appeared as a housemate in the second series, went on to release Big Brother: The Inside Story ( ISBN 978-0-7535-1294-4 ). Following their appearance on
10680-403: The series, numerous former housemates enjoyed moderate fame and success in the public eye. Most notably, Big Brother 3 housemate Jade Goody went on to have a successful career in reality television and later went on to appear in the fifth edition of Celebrity Big Brother . Goody died in 2009 due to cancer. Following her appearance on the series, Goody has frequently been referred to as one of
10800-813: The series, with Phillips ultimately having the most success. Nikki Grahame , who rose to fame in the seventh series, had her own television series titled Princess Nikki that ran for six weeks on E4. She later went on to appear in numerous reality television series. Chanelle Hayes , who appeared on the eighth series, went on to release a single, work as a model, and receive her own reality television series. The series has gone on to be spoofed and parodied by comedians such as Alan Carr , Justin Lee Collins , and Ricky Gervais . The series has been parodied and re-enacted on programs such as The Friday Night Project , an episode of Doctor Who (" Bad Wolf "), and Extras . The Ben Elton novel Dead Famous , published in 2001,
10920-418: The series. Brian Dowling became the only housemate to win a series twice after winning Ultimate Big Brother . Numerous other spin-offs have occurred throughout the series such as Big Brother's Big Mouth , presented by Russell Brand , and Big Brother's Little Brother presented by Dermot O'Leary . Following the show's move to Channel 5 , Big Brother's Bit on the Side and Celebrity Big Brother were
11040-569: The show's move to Channel 5 , Celebrity Big Brother began airing two series per year until its cancellation alongside the regular series in September 2018. In 2023, ITV announced they were bringing it back in 2024 alongside the civilian series, but this time the main show will be on ITV1 and STV rather than ITV2. The show has also had various other spin-off series occur since its premiere. The first spin-off, Teen Big Brother: The Experiment , premiered on 13 October 2003 and lasted ten days. The series
11160-426: The success of the fifth series, the sixth series began on 27 May 2005 and lasted for a total of 78 days. The series was met with much controversy surrounding housemates Anthony Hutton and Makosi Musambasi, the former of which went on to win the series. The seventh series premiered on 18 May 2006, and became the first series to feature over twenty housemates. It became the first series to last longer than 90 days. It
11280-557: The theme song, was often based on the twist or theme of the house for the year. Each series was promoted with a different eye logo, with the logo also representing the theme of the house. The eye logo is meant to symbolize the phrase "Big Brother is watching" taken from the Orwell novel. The logo for the first series was a close-up of housemate Melanie Hill's eye, while the logos for the second through eleventh series' were created by Daniel Eatock. Design team Hello Charlie, who had previously created
11400-539: The title of "Ultimate Housemate". Big Brother 2 winner Brian Dowling , won the series after 18 days in the house. After Richard Desmond bought Channel 5 in 2010, he stated that he was keen to acquire Big Brother . Meanwhile, Endemol had been granted permission to keep the Big Brother house at the Elstree TV Studios until 30 September 2013. On 2 April 2011, Channel 5 formally confirmed that they had signed
11520-634: The top DVDs sold on Amazon.com . In the mid-2000s, DVDs of The Simple Life outranked scripted shows such as The O.C. and Desperate Housewives . Syndication, however, has been problematic; shows such as Fear Factor , COPS , and Wife Swap , in which each episode is self-contained, can be rerun fairly easily, but usually only on cable television or during the daytime ( COPS and America's Funniest Home Videos being exceptions). Season-long competitions, such as The Amazing Race , Survivor , and America's Next Top Model generally perform more poorly and usually must be rerun in marathons to draw
11640-401: The twist that judges could not see contestants during the initial audition round, and could judge them only by their voice. The show was an instant success, and spawned an entire franchise, The Voice , which has been highly successful, with almost 50 international adaptations. The Tester (2010–2012) was the first reality television show aired over a video game console. By 2012, many of
11760-497: The underlying stories are real. Another highly successful group of soap-opera-style shows is the Real Housewives franchise, which began with The Real Housewives of Orange County in 2006 and has since spawned nearly twenty other series, in the U.S. and internationally. The franchise has an older cast and different personal dynamics than that of Laguna Beach and its imitators, as well as lower production values, but similarly
11880-841: The use of higher-quality lighting and cameras, voice-over narration instead of on-screen "confessionals", and slower pacing. Laguna Beach led to several spinoff series, most notably the 2006–2010 series The Hills . It also inspired various other series, including the highly successful British series The Only Way Is Essex and Made in Chelsea , and the Australian series Freshwater Blue . Due to their dramatized feel, many of these shows have been accused of being pre-scripted, more so than other reality television shows have. The producers of The Only Way Is Essex and Made in Chelsea have admitted to coaching cast members on what to say in order to draw more emotion from each scene, although they insist that
12000-400: The winner after 64 days in the House. The series proved to be a hit early in its run, leading to a second series . Big Brother 2 premiered on 25 May 2001 and continued the success of the previous series. The series concluded on 27 July 2001, when Brian Dowling was crowned the winner. The third series premiered on 24 May 2002, and was the first series to feature a live premiere. Much like
12120-448: The winner of the series, which lasted for a total of 93 days. 9 June 2010 saw the premiere of the eleventh series . It was also confirmed that 2010 would be the final year of Big Brother on Channel 4 with McCall. The series lasted for a total of 77 days, with Josie Gibson being crowned the winner. Merely minutes after BB11 concluded, a special edition titled Ultimate Big Brother , featuring memorable former housemates competing for
12240-401: The winner. Despite the fourth series seeing a decrease in viewership and voting numbers, a fifth series began on 28 May 2004. The series became one of the most controversial series at the time, mainly due to events such as "Fight Night" and the expulsion of two housemates. The series lasted for 71 days, with Nadia Almada becoming the first transgender housemate to win the series. Following
12360-440: The wrinkle that the contestants were celebrities who remained masked until they were removed from the show, adding an element of guesswork to the competition. The two shows both spawned successful international franchises, I Can See Your Voice and Masked Singer , respectively. Masked Singer has been especially popular, with over 50 local adaptations; its American adaptation was the third highest-rated series overall of both
12480-659: Was a series consisting of archeologists and historians running a farm though various historical periods, most notably Victorian Farm . Internationally, a number of shows created in the late 1990s and 2000s have had massive global success. Reality-television franchises created during that time that have had more than 30 international adaptations each include the singing competition franchises Idols , Star Academy and The X Factor , other competition franchises Survivor/Expedition Robinson , Big Brother , The Biggest Loser , Come Dine with Me , Got Talent , Top Model , MasterChef , Project Runway and Dancing with
12600-442: Was an Australian show that depicted a family, similar in concept to An American Family . The 1994–95 O. J. Simpson murder case , during which live network television followed suspect Simpson for 90 minutes being chased by police, has been described as a seminal moment in reality television. Networks interrupted their regular television programming for months for coverage of the trial and related events. Because of Simpson's status as
12720-409: Was crowned the winner after spending 64 days in the house. The thirteenth series premiered on 5 June 2012, and was won by Luke Anderson . The thirteenth series was also Dowling's last appearance as host. On 2 April 2013, it was confirmed that Dowling would be replaced by Emma Willis , who had previously presented a spin-off series for the show. The fourteenth series premiered on 13 June 2013, and
12840-401: Was crowned the winner of the series. Belo was the only black housemate to win the programme. The ninth series featured a "Heaven and Hell" theme, and premiered on 5 June 2008. Rachel Rice was the winner of the series after spending 93 days in the house. On 4 June 2009, the tenth series premiered and saw housemates having to complete tasks in order to earn housemate status. Sophie Reade was
12960-504: Was crowned the winner of the series. The twenty-first series began on 6 October 2024, once again comprising 36 episodes. The live final aired on 15 November 2024, when Ali Bromley was announced as the winner. In November 2024, ITV announced that the show had been renewed for a twenty-second series. Since its inception, Big Brother has seen numerous spin-offs and tie-in series launches on both Channel 4 and Channel 5 . The most notable spin-off, Celebrity Big Brother , began initially as
13080-401: Was enabled by the advent of computer-based non-linear editing systems for video (such as produced by Avid Technology ) in 1989. These systems made it easy to quickly edit hours of video footage into a usable form, something that had been very difficult to do before (film, which was easy to edit, was too expensive to use in shooting enough hours on a regular basis). Sylvania Waters (1992)
13200-453: Was frequently the last room of the house to be revealed to the public. Each series has featured a garden in the house, which has included outdoor furniture, a Jacuzzi, and on some occasions other luxuries. The eighth series featured an "inside out" theme for the house, thus items such as the refrigerator were located in the garden. On 2 February 2016, a planning application to Hertsmere Borough Council revealed that Endemol had applied to build
13320-459: Was impacted in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic , which forced many reality competition series to suspend production (and in some cases curtail a competition already in progress, such as Canadian and Malayalam versions of Big Brother ), until such time that production could recommence with appropriate health and safety protocols approved by local authorities. Due to their quicker turnaround times,
13440-528: Was initially presented by Russell Brand from 2004 to 2007, but he did not return for subsequent series which featured a different presenter weekly. Big Brother's Big Mouth did not return following the show's move to Channel 5. Throughout the third, fourth, and fifth series' there were no weekly tasks, and the housemates instead participated in tasks during the Saturday Night Live weekly show. Big Brother's Big Brain also aired once per week, and featured
13560-497: Was later produced in a large number of other countries as Survivor ), added to the Nummer 28 / Real World template the idea of competition and elimination. Cast members or contestants battled against each other and were removed from the show until only one winner remained (these shows are now sometimes called elimination shows). Changing Rooms , a program that began in the UK in 1996, showed couples redecorating each other's houses, and
13680-429: Was met with much controversy after allowing previously evicted housemate Nikki Grahame to return to the game with the chance of winning. Pete Bennett was ultimately crowned the winner of the series. The eighth series premiered on 30 May 2007 and became the longest series to date at 94 days. The series featured a set of twins in the house, who competed initially as individuals but later became one housemate. Brian Belo
13800-433: Was met with much controversy, which was later heightened when two of the cast members had sex in the house. Big Brother Panto , which aired in 2004, saw the return of ten former housemates who re-enacted their rendition of Cinderella . Ultimate Big Brother was the final series to air on Channel 4 , and featured fourteen of the most memorable housemates from both the main series and Celebrity Big Brother competing in
13920-750: Was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in informational programming. COPS , which first aired in the spring of 1989 on Fox and was developed due to the need for new programming during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike , showed police officers on duty apprehending criminals. It introduced the camcorder look and cinéma vérité feel of much of later reality television. The 1991 television documentary on "typical American high schoolers", Yearbook , focused on seniors attending Glenbard West High School, in Glen Ellyn , Illinois and broadcast prime-time on Fox . The series Nummer 28 , which aired on Dutch television in 1991, originated
14040-414: Was stunt double Jason Burrill. He was the oldest housemate to win the main series to date. The eighteenth series launched on 5 June 2017 and was won by Isabelle Warburton. She was the first woman to win Big Brother as a late entrant, and at just 38 days in the house, she has also spent the least amount of time in the house for a winner of the regular series. On 14 September 2018, Channel 5 announced that
14160-471: Was the first reality show with a self-improvement or makeover theme. The dating reality show Streetmate premiered in the UK in 1998. Originally created by Gabe Sachs as Street Match , it was a flop in the United States. But the show was revamped in the UK by Tiger Aspect Productions and became a cult hit. The production team from the original series later created the popular reality shows Strictly Come Dancing , Location, Location, Location , and
14280-426: Was the first in the main series to feature a live launch, with all subsequent series featuring a live launch. The series continued to air for seven nights a week until Big Brother 8 , which aired every night excluding Saturday. The ninth series re-introduced the seven episodes per week format, which has been continued throughout all future series. When the series premiered, it was aired in a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of
14400-446: Was won by Sam Evans . The fifteenth series launched on 5 June 2014 and was won by Helen Wood , making her the first female winner since the show's revival on Channel 5. The sixteenth series began on 12 May 2015, the earliest Big Brother launch to date. Chloe Wilburn was announced as the winner of that series. The seventeenth series launched on 7 June 2016, it was the first Big Brother series to feature two separate houses. The winner
#999