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Big Brother is a reality TV show broadcast on Channel 4, and S4C in Wales, in which a number of contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize at the end of the run. It is based on the Big Brother series produced by Endemol. The show's name comes from George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopia in which Big Brother is the all-seeing leader. The main shows are hosted by Davina McCall and narrated by Marcus Bentley.
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Davina McCall is the host of Live Eviction shows and other special shows. She has been the host of Eviction shows for all seven seasons of Big Brother UK.
Channel 4 has announced Big Brother will be renewed for an eighth series, which will air in May 2007. It has now been confirmed a ninth, tenth and eleventh series of Big Brother UK, which include the celebrity version, all it's subsidary shows and E4 streaming have been signed with Channel 4 for a reported £180 million. <ref>C4 holds the fort Digital Spy Published on December 01 2006, URL last accessed on December 02 2006.</ref> Although the ITV director of television, Simon Shaps, is believed to have talked to Endemol about the contract, it is understood the network did not make a formal offer for Big Brother.<ref>More with Channel 4 Digital Spy Published on November 30 2006, URL last accessed on November 30 2006.</ref>
Series 1–6 of Big Brother (2000–2005), including the four series of Celebrity Big Brother in between, 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, but was believed to be because of the size of some of the hidden cameras. However, from Big Brother 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.
For the first two series, the house was located in Bow, London near to the Three Mills Studios which housed Davina's interviews and the production crew. After planning permission expired after two main seasons (and the first Celebrity Big Brother), Newham Council ordered the complex to be returned to a natural habitat. Subsequent series have taken place at Elstree Studios, which offers more security than the Bow site (which had a public footpath running alongside the southern border). Even the Elstree site has problems, however: it is close to a residential area, attracting complaints from locals about crowd noise on eviction night. Permission has recently been granted to extend the lease of the house for series 7 and 8 (2006 and 2007 respectively).<ref>Big Brother 7 Frequently Asked Questions Big Brother Online UK URL last accessed on August 25 2006.</ref> On 20th July 2006 it was reported in a tabloid newspaper that Big Brother producers had failed to gain the rights to extend the lease for usage of the house past 2007, mainly due to the fact that local residents are continually complaining about crowd noise on eviction nights. Celebrity Big Brother 6 and Big Brother 8 will both be filmed at Elstree Studios but the newspaper reported that Big Brother producers are now attempting to find a new location for the Big Brother House where it will begin filming for series 9 (2008 respectively).<ref>Big Bro's moving house The Sun URL last accessed on 2006-07-23.</ref>
Every year, Big Brother changes the interior of the house to make it fit with the theme of the series. For example, the Big Brother 5 house was claustraphobic, with very sharp and harsh design features. Series 7 had an "Inside Out" theme, where certain items that one would expect inside of the house, such as the dining table, were located outside in the garden. Starting with series three, the entrance and exit to the house have featured the same design. Due to the fact that the Elstree Studio is located on a tank, one must travel up a staircase, walk through sliding doors with the Big Brother logo imprinted on them, and then walk down another staircase inside of the compound to reach the main door to the house. However, series five saw a departure from this, as the entrance to the house was flat, making it seem less grand and inferior.
Housemates are regularly set tasks by Big Brother. These vary from a short job for one housemate (often conducted without the other housemates' knowledge) to tasks over several days involving the whole house.
Shorter tasks are generally rewarded with "treats" such as cigarettes or alcohol. The longer ones usually determine the size of the weekly shopping budget. If housemates fail these tasks, they are provided with basic rations only. Tasks often involve an element of performance, dressing up, or artistic endeavour.
In more recent series, some tasks have also rewarded or punished housemates with regard to nominations, such as the now infamous 'Pants of Power'.
Series 3 of Big Brother introduced the "Big Brother: Live Task" programme. Each Saturday at 9.00 p.m., the housemates would take part in a short task which could change the way they live in the house, one task gave the housemates the chance to remove the bars (rich / poor side divide).
The live tasks were continued in Big Brother 4, where winners of the task were treated to special rewards in a hidden 'reward room'. In series 5 the results of the live tasks effected the size of the prize fund. £10,000 was taken off the prize; each task they failed however, this was discontinued in the third week of Big Brother 5 to make way for further highlights from the house.
Channel 4 has made available live pictures and audio from the Big Brother house. However the stream had a delay of 15 minutes so that audio and/or pictures can be edited out to comply with TV regulations.
The action from within the house has been streamed live over the Internet for a one-off fee subscription that lasts until the end of a series. Subscribers to NTL Broadband Plus can watch the live stream free over the Internet.
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 viewers allows 24/7 access to the stream, even when E4 is carrying normal programming. In 2005 for Series 6 this service became available and free for 5.1 million viewers who have access to Freeview. During series 2 - 4 the interactive service via digital TV also carried up to 4 separate video streams; 2 containing live footage from the house, both focusing on different groups of people in different areas of the house whilst the others contained highlights from recent house action. Only a single feed appeared from Series 5 onward.
Freeview viewers were previously able to view live streaming by pressing the red button while watching E4 and 'LIVE' is displayed. This redirected the viewer to channel 305, which required More 4+1 to be discontinued to allow for the transmission. However, as of 17th of July this feature was removed in preparation for a free version of Film4 which began airing on the 23rd of July.
Subscribers to the NTL digital cable service, Digital cable Telewest and Sky Digital viewers can watch the feed through the red button.<ref>Good news for Freeview customers Big Blagger Published on May 17 2006, URL last accessed on August 25 2006.</ref> However, this service is unavailable to Sky's Irish customers as E4 broadcasts on a different frequency in Ireland due to commercial legislation, and the frequency isn't capable of interactive streaming.
The seventh series of Big Brother began on Thursday May 18 2006 at 9pm. Fourteen housemates entered the house initially. The series ran for 13 weeks, and ended on Friday August 18. The new Big Brother 7 eye was also released to the public on May 2, 16 days before the official launch.
Series 7 was the first series to allow a random member of the public to enter the house. 100 golden tickets were placed in Kit Kat chocolate bars, granting the finder a chance to enter the Big Brother house. Of those tickets, 58 were found before the deadline, but two people decided not to put themselves forward for the show, three dropped out, and 19 did not pass the required background checks, leaving a total of 34. The competition began at 10:30pm on May 18 2006, the launch date of Big Brother. Susie Verrico became the "Golden Housemate" after being randomly selected in a Bingo style machine, as each ticket-holder were randomly given numbers to wear as hats and armbands on the day.
Big Brother reports on events that occurred in the Big Brother House on the previous day, showing highlights of these events. The show is normally aired every day at 9 p.m. on Channel 4 for an hour, but is subject to change. On Fridays, Big Brother is aired as a part of Big Brother Live Eviction. On Tuesday it is where viewers can find out who nominated who. Unlike Big Brother Live, it shows Diary Room conversations. Narrated by Marcus Bentley.
Big Brother's Little Brother is a magazine television programme that airs on Channel 4 and E4 during a series of Big Brother. Presented by Dermot O'Leary, the programme looks at Big Brother-related activities outside the House and features interviews with celebrities, journalists and friends and family of housemates, and sometimes recently evicted housemates.
The show was first aired on May 29 2001 as a part of Big Brother 2, and is shown every Sunday morning as part of Channel 4's T4 slot as well as on E4 during the week. During the first two weeks, the show was co-hosted by Natalie Casey. She was later dropped and that week's evicted housemate took over co-hosting. Big Brother's Little Brother developed into a twice-weekly show with Big Brother 3. For Big Brother 4 and Big Brother 5, it was shown every weeknight at 5pm on E4 before being repeated for terrestrial viewers at 6pm on Channel 4. The Sunday programme includes the first interview with the most recently evicted housemate.
Though introduced with Big Brother 2 as a separate show, Big Brother's Little Brother was present during Series 1 (2000) of the show in the form of a 2-minute spoof each Friday, featuring ten hamsters (each representing a housemate), and a small cardboard house. Two children, one boy and one girl, were featured as the scientists, wearing white coats and safety glasses. Various wisecracks and witty, spoofing moments were parodied, and at the end of each eviction show, the hamster would be seen being wheeled away on a tiny trailer.
Starting with Big Brother 4, an extra clause was added into contracts between contestants and producers Endemol which bound evictees to appearing on Big Brother's Little Brother the Sunday after their eviction (they are evicted on Fridays) and every night for the next week. Any other appearances on any Big Brother-related programmes are optional.
The 2002 series saw the start of 'reunion' programmes. For 2002, the live programme was a special episode of Big Brother's Little Brother in the afternoon of July 28; this was later shown as a repeat that night on Channel 4. 2003 saw a similar format. For 2004 and 2005, live barbecues were used as the basis for a reunion.
For Celebrity Big Brother 6, broadcast in January 2006, Big Brother's Little Brother was moved to a morning slot of 8 a.m. on Channel 4 and renamed Big Brother's Little Breakfast. It was moved back to its previous timeslot on E4 for Big Brother 7.
Over the years, Big Brother's Little Brother has had many features introduced from quizzes to secret cameras. The following is a list of some of the items the show has launched:
Big Brother's Big Mouth, formerly named Big Brother's EFourum, was introduced with Big Brother 5, and is hosted by Russell Brand. It is aired on E4 with late-night repeats aired on Channel 4. For the seventh series, the show aired at 10 p.m., Tuesday–Friday, immediately after the highlights show on Channel 4, with a mixture of fans of the show and celebrities all airing their opinions on the show. A small invited studio audience is also present, so that they can add their opinions to discussions, while viewers are able to contribute through phone, e-mail, text polls, or by leaving a message on the 24-hour 'Mouthpiece'.
Big Brother's Big Mouth is unscripted and highly interactive, allowing input from the live studio audience and celebrity guests as well as the television audience as the show progresses. However, the show still follows a strict format: segments always appear in the same order, and Russell's jokes always follow the same format, almost always with the same catchphrase/punchline at the end.
Before the first advert break, viewers are given the chance to enter a "caption competition", where they have to come up with some text to accompany a picture of one, or some, of the Big Brother housemates caught up in an awkward situation in the house. Winners are announced at the end. A mobile phone is the usual prize, but the it has sometimes been substituted for other things, most often a Big Brother coffee mug.
Every show ends with the phrase "Hare Krishna".
The Whale : The Whale is an anthropomorphic whale who speaks with a Scouse accent. He shows little interest in Big Brother but seems adamant that he has a right to be on the show and still turns up regardless. Due to his obnoxious behaviour he was asked by Russell to no longer come on the show. His trademark saying is 'You Shithouse!'
Rosebud the Horse: Rosebud the Horse is a very polite and well-spoken character who allegedly lives with Russell in his home, in which he works as his slave and is often mistreated and forced to carry out perverted misdemeanors by members of the "Womanising Circuit" including Michael Greco, Dean Gaffney and David Walliams. He dresses in the style of a country gent, with tweed jacket, smart shirt and tie.
Little Jon Connell: Little Jon Connell (born 1989 in Liverpool) normally appears in a scientist's lab coat to conduct a variety of experiments. His contraptions, which illustrate a number of Big Brother-related findings based on his scientific research, are regularly villified and destroyed by Russell Brand. Jon Connell is known as a Big Brother expert, having appeared on the show since the age of 15, first as a panellist on 'EFourum' then later in a regular slot entitled 'The Connell Files'.
Little Paul Scholes: Little Paul Scholes is a small doll with ginger hair, a nasal voice and snub nose, in a reference to the football player Paul Scholes. The doll is usually in the programme for a few minutes after the break in occasional shows and has a short conversation (often centering around his mistreatment) with Russell Brand, usually resulting in him being hit off the bench or sat on.
Russell's ballbags: Russell's scrotum, that seems to live a sensational life separate from Russell. One of them is the "younger, shyer bag", and the other is the "older, more confident bag".
Little Russell: The result of a liaison between Russell and Soo. Little Russell is a small panda toy with wild hair and is allegedly a pervert and hermaphrodite.
Big Kenneth: A friend of That Whale. Big Kenneth has appeared on the show once with That Whale in an attempt to beat up Russell and has also been round to Russell's house in an incident that may have led to an assault upon Beppe.
Big Brother's Big Brain is a live discussion programme. It first aired on May 22 2006 during Big Brother 7. It aired on Channel 4 every Monday at 11:05 p.m.. Presented by Dermot O'Leary, the show featured Big Brother's psychologists analysing the housemates' behaviour. This replaces the Sunday night pre-recorded psychology clips that were shown on the daily highlights show in previous series.
Among the prominent psychologists featured on the show was Dr. Harry Witchel, who moonlights as a physiologist at the University of Bristol. His CV became popular online due to the listing of minutae such as £700 travel grants and 15 minute internal talks alongside real achievements.
Similar format to Big Brother, Diary Room Uncut shows events through the whole week, mostly through Diary Room conversations but also outside of it. It is narrated by Marcus Bentley.
Big Brother Live Eviction is broadcast on Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 4, and is presented by Davina McCall. It is during this show that a housemate is evicted from the Big Brother House, and is from that point on no longer a potential winner of the prize.
The first fifty minutes of the show are highlights of the previous day, shown in the same format as Big Brother. In early seasons, Davina would provide narration for this part of the broadcast. At around 9:25 p.m., Davina will "talk to the house" and announce the latest evictee before the show breaks at 9:30 p.m.. She would say to the house - "Big Brother House, This is Davina, Please do not swear". (Names of people up for eviction), the votes have been casted and veried, and I can tell you the person going out the Big Brother House is (Name of person evicted). You have 30 minutes (seconds if something special is happening later) to leave the house. Thirty minutes later, the show returns at 10:00 p.m. when the audience are shown how the housemates have reacted to the announcement. The housemate is then told to leave the House, and is interviewed by Davina, before the show ends at 10:30 p.m.. Live Eviction is often extended if something special is happening that night.
A week after the Big Brother finale airs, a catchup show is aired to show what individual housemates have been up to over the week Big Brother has been off air. In previous series, the show has been called What The Housemates Did Next.
Nominations Uncut was a show aired on the digital free-to-air network E4. The show consisted of unedited footage of housemates making their weekly nominations. The show was broadcast for seasons 4, 5, and 6. During the sixth season, Nominations Uncut was broadcast at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Each housemate has to make two nominations, each for one point. They do not have a set time in which to make them, but must give good reasons for their choices. For each nomination that a housemate receives, one nomination point is awarded. The two housemates with the highest number of points is up for eviction. Any other housemates that tie with the second housemate are also up for eviction. The results of nominations are normally revealed to housemates by Big Brother the following day.
Celebrity Big Brother is a spin-off of Big Brother UK, also shown on Channel 4, in which a number of B grade and C grade celebrity contestants live in the Big Brother House, trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of winning a large cash prize being 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 series took a break for Teen Big Brother, which was shown in 2003 and given a revised repeat in 2004, but now is a regular part of Channel 4's winter schedule.
Celebrity Big Brother 7 has been confirmed to start airing in January 2007, and will run for four weeks instead of three as was the length the year before.<ref>Brother Bigger For Stars. Daily Record Published on August 24 2006, URL last accessed on September 5, .</ref>
It has been reported that David Hasslehoff,<ref>"The Hoff to star in 'Celebrity Big Brother'", TV News, 2006-10-30, URL last accessed on 2006-11-26.</ref> Adam Ant,<ref>Ben Rawson-Jones, "Adam Ant to appear on 'Celebrity Big Brother'?", Digital Spy, 2006-10-17, URL last accessed on 2006-11-26.</ref> Boris Johnson,<ref>"Boris for Celebrity Big Brother", ITV News, 2006-11-03, URL last accessed on 2006-11-26.</ref> Jeffrey Archer,<ref>"Jeffrey Archer for Celeb Big Brother?", FemaleFirst.co.uk, 2006-11-14, URL last accessed on 2006-11-26.</ref> and Kevin Federline<ref>Ben Rawson-Jones, "Federline for Celebrity Big Brother?", Digital Spy, 2006-11-22, URL last accessed on 2006-11-26.</ref> will appear as contestants in the show.
The series are named after the series of Big Brother that they follow.
Teen Big Brother was a special version of Big Brother, where eight 18 year olds were put in a Big Brother House for ten days. The series was aired in October 2003 on Channel 4 and E4.
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 sexual intercourse on television.
E4 and T4 broadcast the special Big Brother Panto series, bringing together selected members of the various Big Brother series to perform a pantomime of Cinderella during December 2004. The people who took part in the pantomime were:
Each year Big Brother is a ratings winner for Channel 4. The final of Big Brother 3 on 27 July 2002 was watched by 10 million viewers, the highest ever ratings for a non-film on the channel, and BB3 as a whole averaged almost 6 million viewers. Big Brother 6 had an average of 4.4 million, the poorest in the show's history. BB7 was ahead of it, averaging 4.7 million viewers. However the finale of Big Brother 7 at its peak reached 8.2 million viewers.
<references />
| Big Brother UK | |
|---|---|
| Big Brother | 1 (2000) | 2 (2001) | 3 (2002) | 4 (2003) | 5 (2004) | 6 (2005) | 7 (2006) |
| Celebrity Big Brother | 1 (2001) | 3 (2002) | 5 (2005) | 6 (2006) |
| Teen Big Brother | 2003 |
| Big Brother |
| Australia • Brazil • Croatia • Czech Republic • Finland • France • Italy • Mexico • Netherlands • Nigeria • Philippines • Scandinavia • United Kingdom • United States of America |
