Where the future lies

by Gordon McGowan

For the last decade we have tuned in nightly for that guilty pleasure - a delinquent bit of escapism to a lesser-valued reality.

We have shunned our mundane lives of exercise, employment and transport, in favour of watching our next-door neighbours sitting on a couch and drinking tea.

It is now common knowledge that Big Brother, the jewel in the crown of Channel 4’s reality television line-up, will be axed this year after suffering a decline in ratings.

The show peaked in 2002, averaging eight million viewers a night, but figures have declined over the last few years, with the most recent series only pulling in two million viewers on average.

So does this mark the demise of the era of reality TV, or does it just signal the end of the beginning for the genre?

We are now in an age where many strive not for success, but for fame.

The talentless can still aim for the hollow title of ‘celebrity’ and all its rewards of fleeting recognition, if not admiration.

But are we tired of simply watching ourselves, or is there still life left in old-fashioned voyeurism?

Anonymous Big Brother?

The Shoreditch Trust piloted a scheme a few years ago which saw residents on two council estates in London given access to local CCTV footage on their television sets.

It was launched under the premise of being a technologically-advanced "neighbourhood watch" scheme, encouraging the residents to "look out for one another" and report any instances of crime.

Inevitably, the announcement raised concerns from civil rights campaigners, but a spokesman for the Trust was quick to play down fears, comparing it to the good old days of the '40s and ‘50s, "when neighbours would look out for one another."

He said: “This is not about some anonymous Big Brother figure looking down on you; the entire community will have access to this technology.

"We are confident that households won’t use this in a voyeuristic way; it’s for security.”

The service proved incredibly popular among the residents, who tuned in en masse to watch the daily goings-on in the flickering, greyscale world outside their front doors.

A report published by the local council some time later revealed that the scheme had resulted in even better viewing figures than Big Brother itself, which at the time still pulled in very respectable numbers.

Could it be that the future of reality TV is in getting even closer to the home? 

Future

On the other hand, is reality TV going in another, more powerful direction?

Several big names in entertainment have been debating over the last year whether politics should have more in common with reality television, in order to garner more of the public’s attention.

The majority of the assertions were laughed off, particularly Simon Cowell’s infamous claim to have “given democracy back to the world” with his X Factor programme.

Last December, Cowell appeared on the BBC's Newsnight programme and explained his proposal for a reality TV-style political showdown.

The idea was welcomed by both David Cameron and Gordon Brown.

Whether they were bluffing or not remains to be seen, but if the lines of politics and entertainment were to be blurred to this extent, could we be on our way to living in the age of the reality TV-elected Prime Minister?