Why Reality TV works.
posted by Artw on Nov 21, 2010 - 86 comments

Zombies don't run, says Simon Pegg. Well ours do, says Charlie Brooker, director of Deadset. (also some stuff about the election and skeletor and stuff)
posted by Artw on Nov 9, 2008 - 84 comments

The UKs Celebrity Big Brother provokes a diplomatic incident after bullying and alleged racism in the Big Brother house. At the center of the furor are Shilpa Shetty, massive bollywood film star, and Jade Goody, a previous Big Brother content famous for being a previous big brother contestant and her odd views on geography. Both Jade and Shetty are now up for eviction, with the formerly popular Jade being widely expected to be evicted. She could face trouble on the outside, where already an anti-bullying charity she represents has dropped her. Meanwhile Shetty has become favorite to win.
posted by Artw on Jan 17, 2007 - 136 comments

Where are these people's priorities? CBS has done it again. "Many people can't get enough news about the terrorist attacks in the United States, but a few are getting absolutely none: those locked up in ``Big Brother'' houses. " Apologies if this has already been posted, search didn't return anything useful.
posted by zerotype on Sep 14, 2001 - 9 comments

As a sort-of follow up to yesterday's discussion of "whatever-happened-to-the-Big Brother (UK) Housemates", here's a funny little story about what Rudy Boesch is up to these days. We all (may) remember Rudy as the politically incorrect ex-Navy Seal from the first edition of Survivor (US), won by Richard Hatch. Nice to see fame hasn't changed him.
posted by msacheson on Jul 12, 2001 - 0 comments

I wasn't going to watch Big Brother, But... If they're going to be pulling knives on each other, then that may be some entertainment I can get behind.
posted by willnot on Jul 11, 2001 - 18 comments

What happens to the stars of Big Brother afterwards? Big Brother 2 is in full swing in the UK, and just starting in the USA. Here, Jon Ronson investigates what happened to the original contestents on BB1 in the UK. It's surprisingly poignant. (From The Guardian)
posted by salmacis on Jul 11, 2001 - 13 comments

Big Brother 2 goes pay. They're tripping on themselves before they even get out of the starting gate. At the Official Site they've recently reported they will charge for live Internet feed access after the first few days. The obsessed and addicted are none too pleased. What do you think? Shrewd business move or greedy reaction by clueless network executives?
posted by ZachsMind on Jul 4, 2001 - 21 comments

UK Big Brother ends, and people actually care. (Hint to US producers: An ex-nun who converted to hedonistic lesbianism beats a guy with one leg and a roofer whose idea of individuality is dying his hair.) The thing I'm most interested in, though: Is it true that the UK's National Health Service refuses to do heart and lung transplants on the, um, genetically inferior?
posted by aaron on Sep 17, 2000 - 5 comments

Big Brother may be even more Orwellian than I thought. It may not be so much about constant surveillance, as about manipulating public perception of events.
posted by harmful on Aug 22, 2000 - 9 comments

So farewell then, Nasty Nick! Or was he a stoolie all along?
posted by Mocata on Aug 18, 2000 - 8 comments

Big Brother, around the world... Like Survivor, it started in Holland and Germany, then spread across continental Europe, and finally to the UK and USA. And like Millionaire, the duplication of the format is a good way of distinguishing cultural differences. The British version seems more candid than its American cousin, in keeping with Channel 4's character; it's also a lot less chummy. Anyone else keeping track of the two different houses?
posted by holgate on Aug 7, 2000 - 11 comments

Who's 'Big Brother' is most boring? The Brits prize is "only" $105,000, but any sex they have will be videotaped. Is their show more boring than ours? How does it compare to the Spanish and German ones?
posted by owillis on Jul 16, 2000 - 3 comments

The latest TV craze to hit Europe is coming to the UK. After the ratings success of Shipwrecked (18 volunteers living on an island) we have a kind of Truman Show but with volunteers.
posted by Markb on Mar 23, 2000 - 6 comments