Celebrity Big Brother

[Wolfgang]

With Channel 4 setting up their on demand service and other channels sure to follow I wonder how long people will keep paying for licence. Surely its day is numbered now?

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by Wolfgang With Channel 4 setting up their on demand service and other channels sure to follow I wonder how long people will keep paying for licence. Surely its day is numbered now?

If it means avoiding programmes like Nonentity Big Brother and I'm a Nonentity, Get Me Out of Here then I'd gladly pay 10 times the current licence fee

Steve

[D Cairns]

The horrible thing about BB is that unlike in drama, where you can have swearing, physical and emotional violence, all kinds of horribleness, in drama IT'S NOT REAL. Nobody is (or should) be getting hurt. BB sets up traumatic situations where people lash out at each other. They get paid for it, and try to further their careers, but it's still a rather cruel sport. The very nature of the series is designed to torture the participants and make them take it out on each other.

[ChristineCB]

Originally Posted by D Cairns ...where people lash out at each other...it's still a rather cruel sport.

This is it. This is where I realize - Friday Night Boxing in smoky, sweat-stained clubs is the Smartened Up version of BB!! Unbelievable!! Who would have thought I'd believe boxing (and other physically brutal sports) finally have a TV version that is dumbed down by comparison!!

[samkydd]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook If it means avoiding programmes like Nonentity Big Brother and I'm a Nonentity, Get Me Out of Here then I'd gladly pay 10 times the current licence fee Steve

Yes I'd agree with that, but it seems that whatever pile of crap ITV and Channel 4 pioneer the BBC are never too far behind trying to try and follow suit. I still don't understand why the BBC have to compete at the same gutter level as the others because their income is guaranteed so why don't they just ignore the other channels and do their own thing?

Some of the programmes I've seen recently on BBC 4 have been excellent, but they're tucked out of the way from the mainstream whereas BBC1 is almost a clone of ITV now.

[julian_craster]

£345,145 fee for appearing on the show.....

I wonder if Ken Russell received this, bearing in mind he was the first to walk out......is the fee discounted according to how long you stay ?


Profile: Shilpa Shetty
By Monica Chadha
BBC News, Mumbai

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Profile: Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa has not been having a good time of it in the Big Brother house
Shilpa Shetty is one of Bollywood's glamorous actresses who enjoys quite a fan base amongst Indian film viewers.
The 31-year-old does not have the kind of audience pull a top actress such as Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee or Preity Zinta possesses. But she certainly adds value to a high-profile star cast.
Shetty was first noticed in 1993 when she starred in a supporting actress role opposite actor Shah Rukh Khan in the hit film Baazigar (Player).
She then went on to play lead roles in hits such as Main Khiladi Tu Anari (Me Player, You Buffoon) and Dhadkan (Heartbeat).
Later, she got tremendous recognition for her portrayal of a lawyer with HIV in the 2004 film Phir Milenge (Will Meet Again).
Inspired by Hollywood hit Philadelphia, it also won her nominations in several Indian film awards, such as the International Indian Film Academy Awards.
Her last hit was 2005's Dus (Ten), in which she starred with other top-notch actors such as Sanjay Dutt and Abhishek Bachchan.
She has judged various television competitions and has also starred in the BBC World Service Trust's campaign against Aids.
Last year, she received hundreds of marriage proposals on the e-mail address she made public to interact with her fans.

Shilpa has been making films since she was a teenager
"I really don't know when I will get married and to be honest, I haven't found the perfect man yet, " she told the BBC at the time.
She was romantically linked to actor Akshay Kumar in the past, but since then she has reportedly been single.
In 2000, Shetty successfully sued Stardust India magazine after it ran a piece about her relationship with Kumar. She took legal action as she thought it was damaging.
When it was revealed she would be taking part in Celebrity Big Brother, there was tremendous curiosity in India.
Not just because of the format of the programme and its reputation, but also for the huge amount of money she was paid for her appearance. In India, it is rumoured the actress will pocket $680,456 (£345,145).
Shetty stays in Mumbai with her parents and younger sister, Shamita, who is also a Bollywood actress.
Her mother, Sunanda Shetty, claims her daughter's trip to the UK to appear in Big Brother is the first time she has ever travelled anywhere without her.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Profile: Shilpa Shetty

[Moor Larkin]

Originally Posted by D Cairns The horrible thing about BB is that unlike in drama, where you can have swearing, physical and emotional violence, all kinds of horribleness, in drama IT'S NOT REAL. Nobody is (or should) be getting hurt.

What about the audience?

imho the prevalent and consistent televising of all these things and many people's obsessive modern watching habits means this barrage of imagery does have an effect on their thinking and expectation of personal relationships..........

But then commentators have been saying that since the Fifties........

[smiffy]

Originally Posted by Moor Larkin What about the audience? imho the prevalent and consistent televising of all these things and many people's obsessive modern watching habits means this barrage of imagery does have an effect on their thinking and expectation of personal relationships.......... But then commentators have been saying that since the Fifties........

I agree with you 100%,I remember watching BB the first time it was screened and there seemed to be a good mix of people from all walks,so to speak.There were intelligent people in there playing a game to win money,now it is pure sensationalism.I didn't watch BB after the first series because I thought,whats the point of doing it again ? even my kids don't watch it they think it's banal, BUT I did watch Davina Mccall interviewing Jade baddy...sorry goody,this morning.I was interested to see what all the furore was about,and after watching clips of Jades behaviour towards this beautiful,classy,dignified,reserved,intelligent,In dian lady (I wonder why jade didn't hit it off with her) I was horrified to think that she could be used as an example of how the average british person feels.

There is something good to come out of this after the eviction of Jade from the house which is , the great british public has shown that Jade is a minority,and an unwholesome one at that.

I Hope this is the death knell for BB and other banal reality shows,and hope the people that have watched this have awoken from their stupor and realised,(to use moors words)that obsessive watching of this type of programme can affect your thinking and expectation of personal relationships if you let it.

PS: horrible afterthought,surely channel 4 couldn't rig the voting to calm the storm and prolong the life of BB could they?

[Marky B]

Originally Posted by samkydd Yes I'd agree with that, but it seems that whatever pile of crap ITV and Channel 4 pioneer the BBC are never too far behind trying to try and follow suit. I still don't understand why the BBC have to compete at the same gutter level as the others because their income is guaranteed so why don't they just ignore the other channels and do their own thing? Some of the programmes I've seen recently on BBC 4 have been excellent, but they're tucked out of the way from the mainstream whereas BBC1 is almost a clone of ITV now.

It seems the more channels we have,the less ideas there are to spread about. We have got more than our fair share of reality programme such as Big Brother,Celebrity Big Brother,I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here....Then there is Strictly Come Dancing,Dancing On Ice,The Two Of Us,Soapstar Superstar,Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes. On top of that,there is the Jerry Springer style reality shows to grace our mornings,antique/auction programmes (The Antiques Roadshow fine) with their bland presenters and crappy music,cookery programmes (although I don't mind Rachel Allen on a Saturday morning). During the night,for those like me who work late evenings,stupid banal quiz programmes presented by stupid banal idiots barely out of school. As much as I like Morse,Taggart (with Mark McManus),the rarely mentioned Monk,Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett,and Joan Hickson's Miss Marple,it seems now to create a murder of detective programmes for actors well out of their depth.
Ta Ta
Marky B

[harryfielder]

Never seen it yet...Can't watch....Won't watch...

Aitch,

[Jim]

Originally Posted by harryfielder Never seen it yet...Can't watch....Won't watch... Aitch,

DITTO!!!!

[HIPPIEDAVE]

Reality shows are garbage.D