Isitnowtimeto evict Big Bro?

Big Brother returned ten days ago for an 18th series. You probably didn’t know that.

The once ground-breaking show, which paved the way for an avalanche of reality TV, has been reduced to a shadow of its once engrossing self.

At its peak in 2002, Big Brother attracted 9.2 million viewers to Channel 4.

Nowadays it’s limping along on Channel 5, and can only dream of those ratings.

Was it a case of the format losing its lustre, the world moving on, or did it just lose its original wide-eyed innocence?

“Series one was by far the most interesting, in my book,” says Peter Collett, who acted as an in-house psychologist for the first four series.

“The crew were all wandering round in a daze wondering what was going on, and in a way the housemates didn’t know what was expected of them either”

However, Collett explains that contestants quickly sussed out the show’s format. And this made the viewing experience less rewarding. “As time went on it was easier for people to play to the camera. One of the accusations thrown at the series was that people were acting according to what they took to be the ‘Big Brother script’. “

Now, in its 18th series, the show has largely lost relevance and impact in a world full of the reality TV it originally inspired. Collett enjoyed his time analysing the behaviour of contestants on the show in its golden years. But, like many viewers, he has switched off from it altogether since. “I didn’t watch it when I left,” he muses. “I felt I needed to get a life.”