How Big Brother can recapture its glory days by following the magic formula

13 October 2023 , 22:49

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How Big Brother recaptured its glory days by following the magic formula (Image: ITV)

Once the most innovative, exciting reality TV show of them all, by the time Big Brother spluttered to a halt in 2018, it was an embarrassing shadow of its former self.

The programme lasted for 19 series, across two different channels, gradually evolving from unmissable to unwatchable. But it’s back, baby, on a new channel - ITV - with new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best. And, whisper it, because it’s very early days, less than a week in, but so far it’s actually… pretty good. Against all odds, it’s managing to recapture the magic of the early, glory series - mostly by following these five golden rules:

1. NO SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

Big Brother returned with AJ Odudu and Will Best as the hosts (ITV)

One of the key, winning elements of the best new reality-ish show of recent years, The Traitors – which, just like Big Brother started life on Dutch TV – was the mix of real, normal people. Average Joes and Joannas, who wanted to take part in the experience. They were all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds, no one was there for likes or spon-con deals, and it showed. It was also a million times more interesting than watching a load of preening bores overthinking their every move and how they might create content from it in future. This is the most crucial of all these crucial points – if the casting isn’t right, nothing else will be. To recreate the spirit of the first seasons of Big Brother, ITV have thrown people together who would normally never meet, who all bring something different to the table. Just like in BB1 – featuring former nun Anna, builder Craig, banker Nick, yoga teacher Sada and computer saleswoman Mel – in this 2023 carnation we have butcher Tom, dental therapist Chanelle, NHS manager Kerry and customer support agent Yinrun.

2. NO ONE WHO WANTS TO BE FAMOUS

She competed in the third series of the reality show in 2002 (Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

You’d assume that everyone knows by now that although some might enjoy a few weeks of notoriety and attention, most people who appear on reality TV do not become celebrities. Few who have been on Big Brother have ever found enduring fame. Repeat after me: Alison Hammond is the exception, not the rule. (Oh, and Josie Gibson.)

Many people don’t accept this though, Or they do, but think it will be different for them. Luckily these people don’t seem to have been allowed into the house, thank goodness. Big Brother 1 was billed as an experiment rather than an entertainment show – although it happily accidentally became both – and this is the feeling the reboot is evoking. Remember the cautionary tale of Kinga, who did something unmentionable with a wine bottle to try and make an impact, but who you had completely forgotten existed until you just read her name, and even then you probably had to Google her to be sure.

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3. HUMOUR

Humour is a huge part of the show (Press Association)

When most original Big Brother fans remember their favourite bits of past series’, they have a smile on their face. Yes, there was brilliant, compelling drama, intrigue, conflict, and some heartbreakingly poignant moments, but most of the high points were lols. The way to achieve this is twofold; firstly, by casting housemates who have good senses of humour and are funny, whether that be intentionally or not – think Brian Dowling, Makosi Musambasi, Craig Coates, Jade Goody, Brian Belo, Michelle Bass, Nikki Grahame, Science. And then, giving them tasks that are just plain silly – the classic example is the cardboard box one, of BB6. On paper, boring: the housemates had to get inside a cardboard box and stay there for as long as possible. On telly: so hilarious it is now the stuff of legend. Very positive signs so far on this one – lawyer Jordan has a very dry sense of humour and has served up some killer one-liners – honourable mentions to Yinrun, Paul and Matty, too. Also, the first task, set in an office, had some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

4. TWISTS, BUT THE RIGHT KIND, AND NOT TOO MANY

Nikki Grahame on Big Brother (Channel 4)

We’re all for playing with the format, but not too much. No one who has been voted out should ever be let back into the house, as happened in BB7. Yes, it was Nikki Grahame, who we loved and miss, but that’s not the point. All evictions must be final, otherwise Big Brother is making a mockery of itself, and everyone who voted, some of us more than a bazillion times. See also: fake evictions, like when BB8’s Charley Uchea got to come out of the house and find out what everyone liked and hated about her so she could moderate her behaviour before going back in. No contact with the outside world, comprendez?! (TM Secret ginger Tim Culley, of BB3). Again, all seems promising at this point – a first night twist saw Jenkin’s suitcase blown up, but days on, just as he was beginning to be upset by not having any of his belongings in quite an uncomfortable way, his fellow housemates won them back for him as an unexpected part of the office task.

5. LOVE

Michelle Bass and her 'Chicken Stu' Stuart Wilson

Of course, we want arguments – and we’re guaranteed them, firstly because there’s not a soul on earth who could live with that many other human beings in such a small space and not get irritated, and secondly because the infamous shopping list continues to be as divisive as ever. But as well as war, we want love. Not of the forced, constructed dating show type, where couples break up as soon as the credits roll, but of the Helen Adams and Paul Clarke type, where true love lasts forever REDACT five years. The beauty of the Big Brother romance is that so often the couples are unlikely – people who might not have instantly fancied each other if they’d seen each other in a club, or were scrolling on a dating app. But once they spend that much time together and get to know each other’s personalities, they find themselves drawn to one another on a deeper level, and viewers watch their relationship unfold, rooting for them all the way. Think Michelle Bass and Chicken Stu! Mel and Alex! Pete and Nikki! Chantelle and Preston! Ziggy and Chanelle! Josie and John James even though he turned out to be a baddie in the end! Grace and Mikey from BB7 are still together to this day and have four kids. Even though we didn’t like them, still counts. The jury’s still out on whether love will blossom among the current housemates – but one thing’s for sure: this space is definitely worth watching…

Polly Hudson