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FOR THE LAST seven weeks, I’ve been deeply committed to watching Big Brother. Every night just shy of 9pm, I disappeared so I could stream the series from the quiet of my bedroom, and the company of BBabes, a WhatsApp group with two of my friends because we have nobody else to share our running commentary with.
The fact that Big Brother is back and the fact I have a WhatsApp group dedicated to it may take some of you by surprise, but six nights a week for the last seven weeks, it’s been my bedtime story.
During this stint, I was subject to ad breaks on ITV 2 or Virgin Media 2, depending on which channel didn’t delay Big Brother because of football or whatever. Ad breaks are something I had whittled out of my life with the different streaming services that take a sledgehammer to my bank account every month, and it was fascinating to see both channels try to direct my current addiction to their next reality product in line; I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Usually I’m somewhat familiar with the contestants, and this year was no exception with a cast that includes WAG turned WAGatha Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones from McFly, Irish boxer Barry McGuigan and the Female Boss herself Tulisa Contostavlos.
I was, however, surprised to recognise two as good panellists on Big Brother’s after-show Late and Live, a review show with contributions from former housemates of any season and celebrities of varying degrees.
Dean McCullough, who is actually known as a BBC 1 Radio presenter, and the utterly charming Obi Matuse, who started as a dancer on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, and is now a judge on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, are just two of a long line of celebrities who make their coin by roaming the hallways of any reality TV studio, hoping to say their piece.
And I don’t blame them. It’s good earnings, with plenty of options to consider, keeping them busy throughout the year.
The Reality TV Cinematic Universe has become a very niche thing, but the Celebrity Reality TV Cinematic Universe is an incredibly niche thing. One that historically consists of idle pop stars, soap actors, gossip page dwellers, politicians in desperate need of good publicity, and people famous for having opinions on all of the above, can now include names you know from other reality series, people who have had viral success for a hot second, or chancers who lived with, worked for, or divorced someone actually famous.
Over the course of the last 25 years, most channels began to prioritise reality or celebrity-led TV as part of their primetime programming. Channel 4 chose edgier programmes like Big Brother, Come Dine With Me, Naked Attraction and 2016’s famously disastrous Eden, where the contestants and crew stayed living in the wilderness for weeks thinking their adventure was being televised when it was pulled from the air due to poor ratings.
Eden: Paradise Lost, the fallout from that, is available to stream on the Channel 4 Player and, my, is it juicy.
The BBC naturally takes a more wholesome approach to its reality entertainment, with Strictly Come Dancing signifying the end of summer and the start of cosy TV viewing. When the broadcasting giant lost the rights to air The Great British Bake Off, conceding to Channel 4, it seemed as if they lost their edge in the reality game.
That was until the smoky-eyed, blunt-fringed Claudia Winkleman emerged from the misty Scottish moors to present the UK version of The Traitors. Its American counterpart uses the same castle and the same tasks, but instead of Winkleman, we have Alan Cummings, and instead of just ordinary Joes competing for the cash prize, we have an assortment of reality TV royalty from the many global variations of Survivor, the different iterations of Real Housewives, and every creed of Big Brother.
The Traitors, no matter the region, is incredible reality TV, and it’s never too late to become one of its faithful followers.
However, ITV has taken the lead in recent years, with the likes of The X Factor, Love Island, The Only Way Is Essex and the latest reboot of Big Brother churning out such a heavy roster of new celebrities that it’s an industry unto itself.
All of these shows feed a new wave of fame, removing the need to source its stars externally, and the contestants can go on to milk the fame and extend the pay cheque by appearing on Dancing on Ice, I’m A Celeb, Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing.
Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu iş testament to this milkage by competing on Dancing on Ice, Celebrity Big Brother and The Traitors US since winning the dating reality show in 2022 with her then amore Davide Sanclimenti. When these celebs have run out of competitive steam, they can appear as panellists on the reality TV after-shows to share their thoughts and opinions on their successors.
It’s an Ouroboros of celebrities who know what the job requires; drama, quick one-liners, catty but non-libelous remarks and catchphrases with the potential to monetise.
With top tier celebrities — or “top tier”, depending on your opinion — there’s always the risk that they could ruin their reputations or even their careers when they show a nasty streak, one that could be a low-risk as being a poor sport or as disgraceful as showing off a streak of racism, as S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara, Jade Goody and other contestants learned the hard way in 2007’s Celebrity Big Brother.
There’s a threshold of fame that reality stars can now reach. Everyday contestants can go on to achieve varying levels of stardom, from appearing in pantos and social media campaigns for supermarkets (here’s looking at you, Diane from The Traitors) to becoming TV hosts like Alison Hammond, whose career began on Big Brother in 2002.
However, it’s unlikely that we will see any reality stars boost their careers to the levels of the Kardashians or even Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, who are reuniting for Paris & Nicole: The Encore this December, 17 years since the final episode of The Simple Life.
Reality TV is one great social experiment, and its stars reflect the world in which we live, something that actual celebrities can’t do. Love Island, for example, is a Grade A example of tribal behaviour between alpha males and seeing gaslighting unfold in real time, and Big Brother stokes the flames by placing people with opposing politics in confined spaces. As left-wing Ali hugged Tory-loving Nathan in the Big Brother garden, they said that even though they hate each other’s politics, they love each other. “This is how we solve wars,” joked Ali. If only.
Ultimately, though, reality TV isn’t that deep. While there’s a Gladiator savageness to it, these shows allow us to become passive participants as we switch our brains off for the day. If an empire of reality TV stars and broadcasters with a rotating door policy is what it takes to keep the fire lit, then keep these mid-level celebs coming.
Louise Bruton is a freelance journalist, specialising in the arts, pop culture and disability rights.
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Great initiative, a cynic might suggest the Church supplanted pagan holy days with Christian ones and now the neo liberals are doing similar with our revolutionary past but I think we need to celebrate the Easter Revolution with family fun days.
@Jarlath Murphy: A cynic might say that there’s feck all happening outside the pale.
@Brian MacCarthaigh:
The people putting events on in the city are people who live or work in their areas that are giving their time for free to do it. There is nothing stopping people outside Dublin doing the same thing. You can’t wait for things to be handed to you, you have to get up and do it yourself. Moaners get little done.
@john smith so do government mouthpieces
@John Smith: No, this is organised from the top down.
I’m unsure which I dislike more, the grey religious drudgery of yesteryear’s Easter or the ideologically right-on enforced joviality of this. Here’s a tip: lose the ideological bits and focus on the fun.
@8bitplebian:
But you mentioned two ideologies before asking for no ideology? It only becomes ideological when you make it so. Here’s a tip, stop mentioning ideology and focus on the fun.
@John Smith: That’s quite cantankerousky phrased. I suggest you attend the talk on masculinity to work on your delivery.
@8bitplebian:
I don’t take suggestions from confused people on the internet. It was cantankerous on purpose, because your original comment was, in itself, cantankerous.
Amagine getting dragged to “A range of talks on women’s role in Irish society – and how that’s changed and evolved over the years in city hall.” we may as well discuss now modern kitchens appliance spearheaded men’s total conquest of the kitchen area.
As for “controversial Garda commissioners”, how many days does that run? I have only ever known one type of commissioner. Have we ever demoted a commissioner back down to traffic.
It is important to celebrate our culture, hope it’s a good day.
@leartius: Its like winter in Cavan, as if Paddy’s day isn’t good enough that we have to make egits of ourselves every bank holiday weekend. Feck it, I have some spuds to plant…!!
It should be noted that Tallaght is part of our capital, and it has a wealth of events for this day. The library, Rua Red and the Civic Theatre all have loads of events happening, for the kids and the adults. If you are in the area drop on by, events start at 10 am and run until after dark. Tallaght is a vibrant community filled with wonderful people doing amazing things for art and culture, so come down and enjoy the fun. A great day across the country to share our sense of community.
We’re great at celebrating ourselves – the nicest people in the worild. Everyone loves us because we’re great craic…
Sounds like the usual half arsed efforts…merry-go-rounds, ballons and ice cream/burger vans…who’d be bothered.
With the Irish name you’d think it was what is perceived but Bollywood? We have the festival of world cultures every year for that. Were they afraid to marginalise others? Yea I can see India now doing just the same for us.
@leartius: I’d say ur pretty safe from being “dragged” there, stone age man isn’t exactly their target audience. ;)
It might be an idea for An Taoiseach to break the link between the church event of Easter and the 1916 rising. Tying a historical event to a particular religion’s feast day, that is determined by the full moon, is utterly irrational. High time to put 1916 on the calendar on the annual anniversary of the day the proclamation was read and let that be that.
@John Considine: That is true, but don’t you know that the Grinch would come along and steal easter for its own purposes.
More money spent on short termism instead of creating worthwhile outdoor facilities which could provide permanent enjoyment for everyone.
Ah yes more of our licence fee pee’d against a wall, but its okay, there’s nothing like a paean to the masses every once in a while.
Everyone will be cutting their lunch s. For back to work Tuesday
I don’t think there’s anything happening withing 100 miles of me. Typical really.
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