Reality Tv: Big Brother

Real New Formats of Television: Looking at Big Brother.
By Phillip Bell

The term ‘Reality television,’ has become popular in recent years to describe programmes that depict events and interactions, which are supposedly true depictions of the ‘real.’ As to what constitutes the ‘real,’ is a constant source of debate and discrepancy. One such example, which attempts to disprove the reality of such shows, and prove ‘Reality Television,’ to be a misnomer is Phillip Bell’s article, ‘Real new formats of television: looking at Big Brother.’ Bell’s analysis focuses on the Reality game show, Big Brother, and portrays the negative aspects of it through analysing the contestants as well as those who watch them; the audience.
He presents this pessimistic attitude by using sarcasm, ironies and snide comments, which often appear after a statement in brackets, “They encourage competitive and self-examining behaviours of their participants (victims?)…”1 By doing so th...