Is anyone else LITERALLY REALLY FOOKIN' EXCITED for this? Probably the biggest popular culture behemoth of the 00s, in this country anyway. I was 6 when the first series started (that doesn't sound right but oh well) and this programme, above all other things maybe, has seemed to define my youth more than anything else - the only series I haven't seen most of is the one where Cameron one and they went to South Africa.

Favourite contestants: Shahbaz, Mario, gay Craig
Favourite moments: when Shahbaz stole all the food, when George Galloway 'was the cat'

I don't know about you but I'll be sad to see it go.

I think you're joking. I really hope you are.

???

Well who wouldn't be excited about a show that has been regularly criticised with:

1. Accusations of cheating &`unfairness in voting system.
2. Bullying and prejudice from housemates including racism, slander, homophobia, violent and aggressive behaviour.
3. "Voyeurism, gratuitous sex and nudity.

and is about as interesting and intellectually stimulating a watching next doors cat 24 hours a day.


I am a professional people watcher.... but these are not people acting like people, these are people trying to act like interesting people so that they can win a lot of money and become famous for a time.


So in answer to my question "Who wouldn't be interested?"  Me!  I have much better things to do with my valuable time than to watch a bunch of very sad people without any obvious talent and whose only ambition is to become "famous" and don't very much care about how they do it.

As a fellow social science graduate SleepingNinja, I do think your views seem a little dated. Even if we don't like or agree with this new culture of wannabe celebrity, we can't deny that it now exists and is in fact an ever increasingly ubiquitous behaviour.
 
To write it all off as boring etc is pretty narrowminded I think, the quest for fame and celebrity has been the most dominant behaviour of the past decade or so and I would have thought studying this relatively new behaviour would have had some interest for you, especially as it is an area that academia is only really beginning to scrape the surface of.

I agree with you Maddix on an academic level the fascination people have with it is interesting and the psychology behind it is interesting.  However the program content itself I do not find interesting at all personally, which is what I was saying. 

After 10 years I think it's run it's course...in fact after 5 years it's whole point was firmly pushed home!

People now want something different - it was great for getting me to sleep after evening shifts though ;)

It's a completely pointless show. At first it was interesting, but now it's just a case of putting loads of people who act up to a camera in a house. It's so heavily edited that you have no idea what is actually happening. People just want other people to hate and bully and taunt, and there's no shortage of morons willing to take that position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdoemV2pros

And personally I do think it can be entertaining, because it's easy to get sucked in and have opinions about these people that are acting up, and then being edited beyond recognition sometimes.

But that negates basically anything that you can learn from it in terms of psychology. It does raise questions about why people care so much about people they don't know and will never know, but it doesn't answer them.

I must admit I did get suckered back in a bit last series. I normally watch the first few shows, decide it is rubbish and then stay away but last years was the most entertaining in a long time, since the one with VICTOR (the best housemate ever?) in fact. Marcus was a hero last year and I even really like Freddie despite being a Tory, and believe me there's very few Tories I like.

I'm going to see John Cooper Clarke on Wed so will miss the opening show and then will be distracted by the World Cup so probably won't be giving this year's one a go until July.

Sharplimbed



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdoemV2pros

Thanks for introducing me to such a funny man! jees he's like an american Charlie Brooker...

I saw the scrawny one who in the last series (?) had the thing going with the fat Welsh slapper out shopping in Bolton a few months back.
 
I didn't ask for his autograph.
 
I think I once saw Craig the Scouser too but I couldn't be sure.

That's nothing. I saw tens of people that I and no one else gives a **** about just today.

bitteorca

Sharplimbed



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdoemV2pros

Thanks for introducing me to such a funny man! jees he's like an american Charlie Brooker...

Doug Stanhope is amazing. If he played Latitude it would be awesome.

Lanegans_tats


I saw the scrawny one who in the last series (?) had the thing going with the fat Welsh slapper out shopping in Bolton a few months back.
 
I didn't ask for his autograph.
 
I think I once saw Craig the Scouser too but I couldn't be sure.

 


'South london it girl' Charley lives in me area i think, and people spot her in Sainsburys most weeks it seems...

The first big brother was interesting. Then it should have stopped. Just like all the other reality shows, they kicked the arse out of it.  Can't they put on a unique show and then just stop and maybe bring it back every 10 years just to keep things fresh! Its all about money and thats when things change. The first i'm a celebrity was ok and then the same thing happened. I for one wont be sorry to see it go, it run its course aloooong time ago!!!

I still dig it. Sure, it has lost its way these past few years. But, despite it being the home of turgid, horrible people who woul **** on their own granny for 15 minutes of 'fame' and a job on Babestation/Bid Up TV/Sky bet etc, AND the fact that they give George 'Im mad me!' Lamb a job, i will miss it.....

I loved Anna from season 1, and Jon Tickle is ace. Fact. And Lesley Saunderson was HOT! As was Narinder.

there's another one - I thought the last one was the last one.....i wish they could shoot the losing contestants, the at least we wouldn't also have to suffer the endless interviews on other programs etc.

People like BB, fair enough, I don't have to watch it, but it takes over everything else.

Plus they have been exploiting people who clearly have mental health problems in recent years and that just isnt right.

I had a ridiculous crush on Shilpa Shetty when she was on it. 

I think it used to be fascinating, but contestants are all too aware of their celebrity status now, and it's wearing a bit thin. That said, I might watch it this year as it's the last one.

It makes me die a little inside. My faith in humanity is stretched enough, I'm not masochistic enough to actively go looking for that.