Categories: uncategorized
Date: 25 January 2007 11:51:15
"This was in danger of being the most boring Big Brother that we'd had in many years, maybe ever," said Kevin Lygo, Channel 4's head of television. He admitted wondering "what can we do?" before the racism row "erupted into this extraordinary story".
So having someone bullying and racially abusing another person is ok, especially if it pulls in the ratings. Does that mean that C4 did deliberately edit the content to make the most of the situation?
Of course, he states that no jobs are at risk because of this situation.
This really does call into question the ethics of "reality" TV. These things do happen in the outside world but does showing it on prime-time TV justify it? Are C4 now going to claim that all they've done is bring the debate into the open?
We now find that a second C4 "reality" programme has shown footage of a contestant making racially abusive statements.
To me this is car crash television at its worse. It does not educate; it is entertainment at its lowest level. What it does do is fill our voyeuristic needs as we take enjoyment at the misfortunes and inadequacies of others. We are entertained by their emptiness, both in mind and soul. It has become about fame for fame's sake for the "contestants"; a way of cheap publicity and the chance to launch a career in the media.
I know I sound snobbish. Personally I do not watch these programmes but I would not stop others from doing so, only point out that something else could be more gratifying to watch or do. The success or failure of these programmes rest on the ratings they attain and even bad publicity has shown that it will draw the punters in.
Without such programmes the industry that feeds off it - newspapers, agents, presenters, executives - would find themselves in need of something else. Maybe then we'd get better news coverage in the tabloids and better programmes on TV!