Reality TV...

We are in an age where Reality TV shows are making up a high percentage of what is available to the viewing public, particularly the shows that have public voting. Over the last few years we’ve had a plethora of shows that get the public to vote, including such gems as “Big Brother”, “I’m a Celebrity”, “Popstars”, “Pop Idol”, “Soapstar Superstar” and “X-Factor”. All of these shows are like a licence to print money for the producers of this drivel. The X-Factor for example received approximately 8,000,000 votes just on the final show, and at 35p a vote, that makes £2,800,000. Now call me cynical, but it would appear that TV producers have caught on to this and are trying to come up with new shows with the same format and same public voting, most recently for example, “Dancing on Ice”.

“Dancing on Ice” is just like the rest with the “Ice Panel”, public voting and long and drawn out revelation of the results. When Phillip Schofield announces the couples that are through to the next week, the dramatic pauses are so clichéd, as is the “and we’ll reveal the next couple through after the commercial break” thing he does every week.

Another thing these shows have in common is that out of the panel of judges, you always have one nasty judge. People like Nigel Martin-Smith (Star for a Night), Nigel Lythgoe (Popstars), Simon Cowell (X-Factor), Billy Sammeth (Soapstar Superstar) and Jason Gardiner (Dancing on Ice), are obviously doing this for a reason... and that reason is to generate controversy and get the newspapers and the public talking about the show. The agenda is purely publicity driven in an attempt to get more viewers, more votes and thus more money.

An unfortunate side-effect of shows like “Big Brother” is it propels talentless nobodies into stardom. A perfect example of this is Jade Goody. Her only ability is to say incredibly stupid things and for that she lands her own TV series. Another example of a no talent celebrity wannabe is Lizzie Bardsley, from “Wife Swap”. What this scrounging old bag has to offer a paying audience is beyond me. She recently had to repay £5,000 in benefits for failing to declare her TV earnings, demonstrating her world-class insensateness. Now she's a "Celebrity", she's booted her husband out, obviously not needing his dole money to scrape by on.

However, back to the subject in hand... While these shows engender such financial remuneration for the TV producers, we the public will be deluged with more Reality TV shows like Love Island, Celebrity Fit Club (not “Fat” Club as it was previously known when it had “ordinary” people on it, as that might upset the precious celebrities) and Hells Kitchen, and only when they fail to make the huge sums of money they currently generate will they stop this rubbish.