BIG BROTHER
■ CELEBRITY Big Brother is back on ITV1 this week. But who or what is Big Brother? Here’s all you need to know…
❑ Big Brother was created by author and journalist George Orwell, below, in his book Nineteen Eighty-Four.
❑ In the story, Big Brother is the all-seeing dictator of Oceania.
❑ Why is the book called Nineteen Eighteen-Four? The usual reason given is that Orwell finished it in 1948 and reversed the last two digits. But he began writing the book in 1943 and it was originally set in 1980. He moved the date to 1982 and finally 1984. It seems 1984 was just a random date chosen by Orwell, left.
❑ In the book, a continuous war is occurring around the world between Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Britain (part of Oceania) is renamed Airstrip One.
❑ The book’s anti-hero, 39-year-old Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party and works for the Ministry of Truth rewriting history.
❑ Orwell worked for the BBC from 1941 to 1943. At the time, the Ministry of Information oversaw much of the corporation’s factual output and the author saw many documents
marked “Classified”. The Minister of Information was Brendan Bracken who was known as “BB”.
❑ The first film version in 1956 starring Edmond O’Brien and Jan Sterling had two endings – one for the US audience that stuck to the novel and a different one for British cinemas.
❑ Many of the words and expressions created by Orwell in the book have entered the language and the Oxford English Dictionary: Newspeak in 1950,
Big Brother and doublethink in 1953, and thoughtcrime and unperson in 1954.
❑ A 1954 BBC version starring Peter Cushing was watched by more than 7 million people. Hundreds complained about violence and sexuality.
❑ Another concept gave its name to a TV show – Room 101, above with ex-host Frank Skinner – although in the book it is filled with things you fear, not items you merely dislike. Room 101 was based in the Ministry of Love where torture was carried out.