DAY 57 IN THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE.....

It's over. Ten years and very long summer later... Big Brother has finally come to an end. Channel Four's often criticised programme has come to an end. I have dipped my toe into BB many times over the years and many, many times I've hated myself for watching such drivel. I have watched behind cushions and squirmed when Davina McCall shrieks constantly, when the arguments flare up, when couples got it on under tables or Jacuzzis or when George Galloway and Rula Lenska got a little frisky as their cat characters. Annoying and voyeuristic perhaps, but you can't deny that Big Brother was innovative and thought-provoking television. In the golden age of celebrity, it attracted desperate wannabes who saw participation as a way to fame and fortune. To some, it paid off. It paved the way for glittering lives in the spotlight and Heat magazine, and for some, it kick started flagging careers. At worst, it televised cruelty, bullying and a willingness to do anything at the whim of 'Big Brother'. Of course, BB was actually a bunch of producers sat in a C4 gallery, but you would sit in amazement at the housemates total willingness to betray, to bitch and to act very foolishly at the whim of media graduates. Also step forward the emotional unravelling of fragile and often vulnerable personalities into total breakdown. BB has also shown some of the best traits in human nature - bonding, romance, forgiveness and fun...plenty of fun. There's been some unforgettable characters too who had their 15 minutes of fame and fun in the spotlight. The lucky few like Jade Goody and Brian Dowling managed to carve out fame and fortune in their own right.
I think in the end, BB has had its day. It's been great fun to watch and it shall be missed by many people. Reality TV has it's place in television history, but it's cheap and it's often tacky in it's glorification of showcasing stupidity and calling it talent.