The last ever series of Big Brother UK– the eleventh- begins tonight on Channel 4… unusually, on a Wednesday.
I’ve watched every series of the reality show, on and off, ever since it began. I’ve stuck with it through good times and bad. I’ve laughed at and with the contestants, watching them in real time. I loved Davina McCall’s witty put downs. I loved the Geordie voice over man even more and mimicked his accent at almost every opportunity.
Before BB, there used to be just a lot of hours of sport on TV during the summer months. By now there was something else to talk about… and the tabloids loved it too. Column inches were written in gossip magazines about what went on in the infamous house.
BB was both loved and attacked in equal measure, but it couldn’t be ignored, and the show soon became an essential part of the UK’s cultural life. But at the end of the series, it’s leaving for good… and for me, like many fans, it will feel like losing a friend.
The problem for Channel 4 is that they may find it very difficult to fill the BB hours with original shows next summer.