The changing face of reality TV

The changing face of reality TV

The changing face of reality TV

From Big Brother to Britain's Got Talent, the genre of reality TV has come under as much criticism as it has praise during its 10-year domination of our screens. With these shows still attracting big audiences, the general consensus is that they must be doing something right.

The truth is that audience figures may not be quite what are generally believed, and TV analysts have identified the reasons why some shows are getting bigger while others spiral downhill, according to the changing tastes of long-time viewers.

Detractors of reality TV shouldn't expect the trend to go away any time soon, but they may be interested in learning why people watch the shows they do, particularly as their own feelings about certain aspects of celebrity culture may be echoed by a larger percentage of the audience than they realise. More than a decade after Big Brother kicked off the trend, it's no secret that the show is losing viewers, but this is believed to be due to the nature of the format itself, rather than simply audience boredom.

Despite the best efforts of their creators to diversity, Big Brother and similar shows that psychologists believe are based around ridicule only have limited potential. The prime example is I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here, which subject well-loved stars to humiliating ordeals in the name of entertainment. It seems that the British public can only get so much guilty pleasure out of seeing public figures humiliated rather than rewarded, which is expected to lead to a turnaround in attitudes among show creators.

By contrast, shows that focus on journeys of success and aspiration are still hugely popular among viewers, which is largely down to their more positive portrayal of their stars. So while many commentators criticise reality TV phenomena such as The X Factor's Jedward and Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle for their rapid rise to stardom, there's no denying that the rags-to-riches stories of these figures and the dozens of other hopefuls showcased by reality shows can provide positive role models to audiences of diverse ages and backgrounds.

Any successful show will spawn a number of copycats, some more successful than others, but the best will stand the test of time. Catch all the biggest reality shows in high definition with a Sky+ HD package, and you can also record and view shows back at your leisure to make sure you keep up with the latest successes and failures.

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