Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother is a reality television series broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Channel 4 and E4, and on S4C in Wales. Internationally, it is broadcast in on The Polish station TVN.[C21Media:] It is part of the Big Brother franchise first developed in the Netherlands. Big Brother UK also includes the Republic of Ireland.
Overview
The premise of the gameshow is to bring a group of contestants, called Housemates, to live in isolation from the outside world in a house custom built with everyday objects, like fridges and a garden. The house also includes cameras and microphones in most of the rooms to record all of the activity in the house. The only place where Housemates can be away from their Housemates is in the diary room, where they can confess their true feelings. The winner is the last contestant remaining in the house, and receives a large cash prize. Housemates are evicted weekly throughout the show by the viewing public. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia in which Big Brother is the all-seeing, omnipotent leader of Oceania.
Although the ethics of the show, and of some of its contestants, have sometimes been questioned,[Anger over Big Brother 'racism'. BBC News] its continued popularity has ensured its survival, and will now be continued until 2011.
The main shows (Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother) are hosted by Davina McCall and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The show premiered on Channel 4 on 14 July 2000. It is produced by Brighter Pictures, an Endemol company. With up to 10 million viewers tuning in for the show it became an instant success.
Presenters
Davina McCall hosts the Live Eviction shows, as well as the first episode of the series (called the Launch Night) and the Live Finale. The highlights show features the previous day's events condensed into a one hour show. This is narrated by Marcus Bentley, who also narrates for the Live Eviction and Live Finale shows.
Auditions
Big Brother open auditions have been held around the UK and Ireland since Big Brother 5. Before this, auditionees had to send audition tapes to the producers.
Current Format
Launch Night
On the night of the Live Launch several members of the public, who have successfully passed through several audition processes, enter the House to become Housemates of the Big Brother House. Once inside the house the Housemates will live together and have no contact with the Outside World. They will be recorded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on cameras that cover nearly every inch of the house, including a special room known as the Diary Room. They are also recorded by microphones located throughout the House, as well as being worn by the Housemates themselves. Nearly every movement and word spoken is seen and heard by the ever present Big Brother.
Big Brother
The Housemates can be addressed by Big Brother through a PA system located within the house, and when the Housemates are addressed by Big Brother, it always refers to itself in the third person. Big Brother has several voices and is sexless, although its voices can be either male or female, depending on which member of the production crew is taking on the role at that time. Big Brother is also emotionless and will address Housemates with objectivity, although it is sensitive and empathetic in difficult times for Housemates. At all times, Big Brother's decisions are final.
Suitcases
Housemates have their suitcases delivered to them the day after they arrive, which contain their own clothes and personal items. Housemates are forbidden from taking reading material, branded items (unless covered) and other contraband items into the House and will have their suitcases scrutinized by Big Brother before they are delivered. In the past they have been allowed one luxury item, including musical instruments and alcohol but these have also been banned. Once suitcases have been unpacked, they are then taken away again. However in some instances Big Brother will not deliver suitcases as punishment for breaking the Rules, or may also use them as a reward for completing Tasks set by Big Brother.
Life in the House
Over the duration of the series, the Housemates are given a series of Tasks by Big Brother which test them in many ways. They are also put to the test by their own ideals, prejudices and opinions against other people from different walks of life; something that has survived from the original "social experiment" of Big Brother 1. They live in the communal House and share cooking and cleaning chores among themselves, which usually provides plenty of tension. They must also live by the Fundamental Rules of Big Brother; if the rules are broken it can result in formal warnings, various punishments or even a Housemate's removal from the House.
The Diary Room
In the Diary Room, Housemates are allowed to privately tell big brother about their issues and worries about other Housemates, as well as ask Big Brother for items for the house. The Diary Room is also used by Big Brother when Big Brother needs to speak to individual Housemates alone for any reason. Some of the Housemates are comfortable enough in the Diary Room to discuss personal feelings, issues and even general personal business not relating to the house. The Diary Room is also the only room in the house not shown on Live Streaming, in order to protect the Housemates privacy. However some conversations in the Diary Room will appear in highlights shows, especially if they pertain to an event or situation within the house.
When Housemates request items such as cleaning materials or extra cigarettes (at the discretion of Big Brother), they are either delivered via the Diary Room, the Store Room or a Delivery Hatch sometimes located in the main House. Instructions and items for tasks are also delivered via the Diary Room.
In the past, notably in Big Brother 5's 'Fight Night' and Big Brother 9's 'Fight Night II' it was necessary for Big Brother to use the Diary Room as a means of removing aggressive Housemates from potentially violent situations.
The Shopping
Each week Big Brother sets the Housemates a task in order to determine the shopping budget for the following week. They must work together to win the tasks in order to win a luxury shopping budget of £5 per head per day. If they lose, they will only receive a basic shopping budget of £1 per head per day. If all food runs out in the House, Big Brother provides Emergency Rations of chickpeas and rice. Housemates are responsible for their own shopping and decide which items the budget is bought. Only a small percentage of the overall budget can be spent on alcohol, and Big Brother delivers the alcohol separately in increments as a reward for tasks or a treat after Evictions. Shopping is usually delivered on Thursday afternoon after the remainder of the previous week's food has been removed via the Store Room. Big Brother provides packed lunches for the interim period.
Nominations
Each week, usually on a Monday, the Housemates are individually called to the Diary Room by Big Brother in alphabetical order, where they must Nominate two fellow Housemates for Eviction privately.
They must provide full and frank reasons for Nominating their chosen Housemates and cannot Nominate themselves. Once all Housemates (or all Housemates eligible to Nominate) have Nominated, the two or more Housemates with the most Nominations are then put to the public vote, where the Housemate or Housemates with the most votes are Evicted in a live Friday night Eviction. The Nominations are not revealed to the Housemates by Big Brother until the day after the Nominations process, usually a Tuesday, when voting has already begun. On a Friday afternoon, Nominated Housemates have their suitcases delivered to them so they may pack in anticipation of the evening's Eviction.
Housemates are not allowed to discuss who they have Nominated or who they might Nominate with each other, and they are banned from discussing who might have Nominated the Housemates up for Eviction - unless given permission by Big Brother (as in Big Brother 9's Nominations Pod). If a Housemate has broken any of the Fundamental Rules regarding Nominations, Big Brother will impose a punishment on the Housemate.
Live Eviction and Davina
On Eviction Night, Big Brother plays crowd noise into the House so that Housemates are unable to hear chanting from the real crowd waiting for the Evictee, protecting the concept of 'no contact with the Outside World'. Nominated Housemates are told by Davina the results of the public vote via live link to the speakers in the House from a quiet studio nearby. Davina will address the House in the following scripted speech;
"Big Brother House, this is Davina. You are live on Channel 4, please do not swear. (Nominated Housemates' names), the lines are closed and the votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal that the (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) person to be evicted from the Big Brother House is... (Evicted Housemate's name)"
The evicted housemate usually have 15 minutes to say their goodbyes and get ready to leave, while the first Live Eviction show goes off air for an interval programme. The on-air break is half an hour long giving the second Eviction show a 15 minute delay when it returns to air. When the Live Eviction show returns, Davina will then tell the Evicted Housemate that they have 30 seconds to leave the House, again addressing the House from the quiet studio;
"Big Brother House, this is Davina. You are live on Channel 4, please do not swear. (Evicted Housemate's name) you are the (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) person to be evicted from the Big Brother House. You have 30 seconds to say your goodbyes, I'm coming to get you!"
Once they leave the House they are greeted by the live crowd, which will boo or cheer according to the popularity of the Evicted Housemate. They will then be taken past a bank of photographers and then led away down the middle of the crowd to the nearby studio by Davina. There they are interviewed by Davina about their time in the House.
In unexpected twists that add to the appeal of the series, Big Brother will forgo the prescribed Eviction format and will Evict Housemates in other ways. In the past Big Brother has asked Housemates to Evict their least favourite Nominated Housemate, or has Evicted Nominated Housemates through the Diary Room without other Housemates realising that an Eviction was taking place. Such twists in the format are more common towards the end of a series. So far in each series (from 2000-2008),it has been a female that has been evicted first (not including Housemates that have walked or been ejected or in specials like Celebrity, Teen or Hijack) Big Brother 1 (Sada) Big Brother 2 (Penny) Big Brother 3 (Lynne) Big Brother 4 (Anoushka) Big Brother 5 (Kitten) Big Brother 6 (Mary) Big Brother 7 (Bonnie) Big Brother 8 (Shabnam) and Big Brother 9 (Stephanie)
Live Final and the Winner
In the Live Final, only three to six Housemates remain in the house, after surviving numerous evictions. The public are then asked to vote for their favourite surviving Housemate to win the prize of £100,000 in the preceding week. Voting lines are suspended at intervals on the Live Final show to reveal the runners-up, who are then evicted and interviewed by Davina without the usual 15 minute delay, until the final two surviving Housemates, when the winner is announced. The first runner-up then leaves the House and is interviewed by Davina, followed by the winner who is usually treated to a cheering crowd and a firework display, before they are interviewed by Davina.
Schedule
Each highlight show features the events that happened in the previous day in the house. On the Live Eviction Shows, the housemates are evicted the same day as the results are shown, and the highlight show from the next day will often show their eviction again (without the interview.)
Each night's show is repeated the next morning on Channel 4, during their breakfast schedule. The morning show is a censored version of the previous days allowing for a younger audience base to be able to watch the show. The same show is repeated on E4 later in the day during the after-noon. Friday's LIVE episode is repeated Saturday mornings on Channel 4's Teen Strand T4 and then repeated Saturday evening on E4.
In the T4 and E4 repeats, Housemate entrances and exits are generally edited so that they go dark to light, and also they slow down some of the action. This however can cause severe ghosting in the T.V. picture. It's possible this is done to lower the risk of flashing cameras to people who sufferer from photosensitive epilepsy, even though Channel 4 does not broadcast with low brightness (altihough continuty warnings are usually announced).
The ninth and latest series was launched on 5 June 2008, and ran for 13 weeks until 5 September 2008.[C4 holds the fort Digital Spy Published on December 1 2006, URL last accessed on December.]
Live streaming
Channel 4 has made available live pictures and audio from the Big Brother house. However, approximately a 15 minute delay is in place so that audio and/or pictures can be censored to comply with TV regulations. This is also obvious when Housemates discuss the time in the Big Brother House and when they have done so the time is commonly 15-20 minutes behind than the time of viewing.
The action from within the House used to be streamed live over the Internet for a one-off fee subscription that lasted to the end of the series, and for free to broadband customers of sponsors Virgin Media. However since Big Brother 9, the live internet streaming was axed due to small uptake of subscriptions in past series.
Since the second series, Channel 4's sister station E4 has also carried live pictures and audio from the Big Brother House. An interactive service available to digital satellite and cable viewers allows 24/7 access to the stream, even when E4 is carrying normal programming. Live streaming was cut during Big Brother 5's "Fight Night" when a House argument broke out in which the main culprit was ejected from the house for being aggressive. The same also occurred during Big Brother 9's "Fight Night II" in which the actions of most Housemates were similar to that of "Fight Night". This was also a House argument which resulted in one Housemates being ejected for spitting in another Housemate's face.
House
For the first two series, the House was located in Bow, London near to the Three Mills Studios. After planning permission expired in 2002, Newham Council ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat. The House has been located at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire since Big Brother 3 in 2002.
The House is currently built behind the studios and is overlooked by the studio offices. The House has substantial security in place including fencing, security patrols and dog units to protect the premise of "no contact from the outside world". However people can shout to the Housemates in the garden via a road located near the House, threatening that premise. Whenever such incidents occur, Big Brother will ban the Housemates from using the garden and ensure that they are locked in the House to prevent them from hearing what is being shouted. It has been reported that the Big Brother House has higher and better levels of security than Buckingham Palace, after the lobbyist group Fathers 4 Justice gained entry to Buckingham Palace in 2004, but a similar effort to raid the Big Brother House was foiled days later.
The interior design of the House changes each year to suit the theme of the series. For example, the Big Brother 5 House was claustrophobic, with harsh colour schemes to reflect the Evil Big Brother theme, while Big Brother 8 had an "Inside Out" theme with kitchen appliances, washing facilities and dining areas located in the wrong rooms or areas of the House.
The House is situated just metres from The George Lucas Stage where the studio of spin off show, Big Brother's Little Brother is located, as well as the Eviction Studio where evicted Housemates are interviewed.
It is uncertain if Big Brother UK will move to a new location after the current contract at Elstree Studios expires in 2010.
Live Tasks
Series 3 of Big Brother introduced the Saturday night "Big Brother: Live Task", which would determine on which side of the Rich/Poor divide individual Housemates would live for the forthcoming week. The Live Tasks were continued throughout Big Brother 4, with winners treated to a hidden "Reward Room" for the evening. Live Saturday evening Tasks were discontinued during Series 5. In the penultimate week of Series 9 there was a live task. Housemates had to nominate face to face using cue cards. The two Housemates nominated then went on to play a game were they could win £50,000.
Logo
The Big Brother logo is an eye. However since Big Brother 2, every UK series has featured a different ‘Eye’ design created by Daniel Eatock. The first series had a human Eye as the logo, and it was revealed during Melanie Hill's exit interview that it was her eye that was being used as the shows logo. The Eye is meant to signify that Big Brother is ‘always watching’ and it in its own right has become iconic. Most of the other Big Brother series around the world have adopted the Eye in their logo, with some countries adopting designs directly from the UK Big Brother. Since Big Brother 5 the title sequence created by Hello Charlie has left out the title "Big Brother" with the idea that the Eye was iconic enough to identify the show.
Theme tune
The theme tune was written and produced by Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray. It was released as a single in September 2000 under the name "Element Four" and peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart. It is also used for the Bulgarian series.
Aspect ratio
Series 1 to 6 of Big Brother (2000–2005), including the four corresponding series of Celebrity Big Brother, were some of the very few programmes on mainstream British terrestrial television that were broadcast in the old 4:3 aspect ratio as opposed to the more common 16:9 widescreen format. (Except the Big Brother Panto, which was in widescreen). The reason for this is unclear, perhaps because shots cannot be artificially staged to use a 16:9 format, the 16:9 format is more efficient as it can cover a wider range of shots, as opposed to the somewhat limited 4:3 full-screen format. However, from series 7 (2006) the aspect ratio has been switched in favour of the 16:9 format, with Big Brother, and all of its sister shows broadcasting in widescreen.
Media interest
Big Brother is highly publicised in the UK, more or less all leading tabloids newspapers and gossip magazines cover the series. The show has also made headlines on leading news channels such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, CNN and Sky news. After leaving the House, Housemates usually have short lived fame. Endemol gives Housemates a choice of agents when leaving the House. Some have gone on to have their own reality TV shows, perfumes, DVD's, singles, columns and more. Some of them appear in magazines, newspapers, radio stations, and even television programmes. They often attend film premieres and other red carpet events. Though for most, their fame generally subsides shortly after the series finale. To date the most successful former Big Brother Housemates are Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody. Other successful housemates include Brian Dowling who has landed a career in television presenting and voice over work, and Alison Hammond who works as a presenter on ITV's This Morning.
Sponsorships
 BT Cellnet changed its name to O2, the sponsor is therefore the same as the previous series.
The Carphone Warehouse is the parent company of TalkTalk, the previous sponsor.
Due to the race row the sponsorship was cut off half way through the series.
The cost of this sponsorship was £2.5 Million.
Although the change of the name of the sponsor, it is still the same company and the same sponsor adverts were used.
In November 2008 it was revealed that Virgin Mobile will no longer be sponsoring.[http://dailystar.co.uk/bigbrother/view/57549/Virgin-hangs-up-on-Big-Brother/]
Celebrity Big Brother
Originally created as a one-off tie-in series by Channel 4 in association with the BBC's Comic Relief charity telethon, Celebrity Big Brother is now a full spin-off of Big Brother UK, shown on Channel 4, S4C, E4, E4+1 and Internet live streaming and downloading, backed up with email and SMS text news reports to subscribers. The series typically airs in January.
The series features a number of celebrity contestants living in the Big Brother House, trying to avoid eviction by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize to be donated to the winner's nominated charity at the end of the run. The show uses the same house and presenters as the non-celebrity version of the most recent series, but the time length is shorter than a normal Big Brother UK series. The celebrities are normally paid for their appearances, on the basis that they don't voluntarily leave.
The first Celebrity Big Brother was aired nightly on Channel 4 with the finale broadcast live on BBC One on Comic Relief night in 2001. Subsequent Celebrity Big Brothers have not involved the BBC or Comic Relief in any way, and the charities involved are given far less publicity than in the first series.
The series took a break for , which was shown in 2003 and given a revised repeat in 2004, between 2005 and 2007 it was a regular part of Channel 4's winter schedule.
Celebrity Big Brother 2001
Celebrity Big Brother 2002
Celebrity Big Brother 2005
Celebrity Big Brother 2006
Celebrity Big Brother 2007
Celebrity Big Brother 2009
On 17 January 2007, Celebrity Big Brother caused a record number of complaints to Ofcom, with more than 45,500 people contacting the regulator
However, on August 24, 2007, Channel 4 boss Julian Bellamy announced that Celebrity Big Brother would not return in 2008 and added that the show's future will be decided next year, saying "There's a general issue of supply and demand and it's getting harder to book celebrities."
He added he would prefer to build up anticipation for Big Brother 9 which started on June 5th.
It has been confirmed by Davina on Richard & Judy that Celebrity Big Brother would return in Winter 2009.
Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack
was a spin off series that aired on E4 in January 2008. It was hosted by Dermot O'Leary,[News Flash: Dermot's quitting Big Brother's Little Brother!] launched on January 3 both on Channel 4 and E4. After the launch, all Big Brother programmes are only aired on E4. The series was a twist on the Celebrity Big Brother format. Instead of the celebrities playing the role of Housemates, the celebrities become Big Brother itself. The Housemates of the show are 18 to 21 year olds.
Teen Big Brother
was a special version of Big Brother, where eight 18 year olds lived in the Big Brother House for ten days. The series was aired in October 2003 on Channel 4 and E4 where it was presented by BBLB host Dermot O'Leary and narrated by Marcus Bentley.
Unlike all other Big Brother series, Teen Big Brother was pre-recorded and shown some months after the contestants had left the House. During the series' broadcast, it was involved in a scandal over two of the Housemates having sex on television.
Big Brother Panto
E4 and T4 broadcast the special Big Brother Panto series, bringing together ten members of the various Big Brother series to perform a pantomime of Cinderella. It was presented by Jeff Brazier and June Sarpong and narrated by Marcus Bentley. It was aired from 20 December 2004 to 5 January 2005.
Spoofs, Parodies and cultural references
In the UK, Big Brother has been satirised and spoofed by many comedians including Alan Carr, Justin Lee Collins and Ricky Gervais. Big Brother has also been lampooned on programmes such as Friday Night Project, the Doctor Who episode Bad Wolf and Extras.
Dead Set is a horror series set in the Big Brother house.
Criticisms and controversy
Since the first series, Big Brother has been the subject of controversy among the British public. They have been investigated by numerous organisations, including Ofcom and the police.
During Big Brother 1 "Nasty" Nick Bateman was removed from the House for using pen and paper that he snuck in to manipulate Nominations.
During Big Brother 4 there was a bomb scare. At 7:58 on Day 43, Big Brother asked all Housemates to go to the boy’s bedroom until further notice because of a security alert inside the studios. The staff had left 20 minutes earlier, except for senior members of the production team who watched the Housemates from behind the mirrors. The Big Brother gallery was unmanned after police advised staff to leave the house. At 8:43, Police advised that the house be evacuated. Since the gallery was unmanned, Big Brother had no method of communicating with the house, so staff had to enter. Senior members of the production team lead the Housemates out via the camera runs, and they were taken to a secure area on the perimeter of the studio complex with 2 chaperones and 4 security guards. At 12:49am, the Housemates were allowed to return after police gave the all clear. The eviction took place the following day.
In Big Brother 5, on what is commonly referred to as 'Fight Night', volatile ex-Housemates Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass returned to the Big Brother house after a fake eviction. Some of the other Housemates were extremely displeased, and after a series of arguments, Greenwood along with Jason Cowan,
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