Big Brother Is Watching You
Reality shows have become the norm on television nowadays all over the world, and Big Brother is one of the favourites on Channel 4 and E4 in the UK. It has been going since 2000 and each season episodes air nightly, highlighting the events of the night before.
The show itself is part of the Big Brother franchise that was developed in the Netherlands and there have been numerous versions of the show over the years, including a version in the United States and a celebrity version featuring well known singers, actors, and celebrities.
The basic idea of the show is that selected contestants are required to live in isolation from friends, family, and the rest of the world in a specially built house that keeps them in and everyone else out. Contestants are chosen based on videos they send in either through the mail or on line. Each week the contestants nominate two of their housemates to be evicted and the housemates with the most votes are then revealed to the general viewing public. The viewers can then vote on which contestant should be evicted â€" via telephone or text message â€" and the one with the most votes is kicked out of the house and off the television show. The last person left in the house by the end of the show is crowned the winner and wins the cash prize.
Big Brother takes place at Elstree Studios. The last season of the show is expected to be in 2010 . Each year the producers change the inside of the house to meet the theme of the season. Themes in the past have included claustrophobic colours and furniture, and lighting that matches the moods of the contestants.
During their time in the house, contestants are set tasks by ‘Big Brother’, the overseer of the house. The jobs can be short and for one contestant only without the others' knowledge, to chores that last all week and require the contestants to work together. There is also a weekly task that determines whether or not the contestants receive a luxury shopping budget or only basic rations. Shorter jobs are rewarded with various treats like alcohol or cigarettes. Tasks usually require the contestant to complete some form of performance, artistic endeavour, or dressing up.
Davina McCall hosts the show, which is narrated by Marcus Bentley. The daily episode is repeated the next day as part of Channel 4’s breakfast show line-up and in the afternoon, but it is censored so that younger viewers can watch it. The show’s logo, a big eye that represents ‘Big Brother’ is different each season and designed by Daniel Eatock. The theme song was written by Paul Oakenfold and Andy Gray and has actually made it into the Top Ten on the UK Singles Chart.
