reality TV

Sixteen British civilians will enter the competition as equals but will soon be split into Rulers and Grafters. In a caricature of real-world power dynamics, the Grafters will complete a series of arduous activities, creating a prize fund that only the Rulers can win.

Whilst the Grafters inhabit a basement, the Rulers occupy a deluxe penthouse. The Rulers will have to encourage the Grafters to work harder for them, whilst also making choices that affect only the Grafters and not themselves.

The celebrities won’t be facing terrifying bushtucker trials, but they will be dressed in the most bizarre and extravagant outfits - from a witchetty grub to a kangaroo.

The panel and viewers at home will need to try and guess who the famous faces are behind the costumes before they can scream: "I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!" 

The panel will be comprised of Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan, plus special guest star panellists who will help crack the mystery of who is behind the mask.

I say this not simply to air my grievances but to recommend a defence against such snobbery. Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale’s new 10-part podcast, Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV, makes a thorough case for the genre’s cultural significance, without turning a blind eye to its shaky ethical foundations.  

For decades, putting members of the public on screen was a win-win situation. From Blind Date to The Generation Game, from Survivor to Big Brother, there was always new fodder for the tabloids, huge audiences for advertisers – including that vital but hard to reach 16-24 demographic – and, for ordinary folk, the chance for a few dazzling moments to make their lives extraordinary. 

Here are some of our favourite reality TV moments. 

"What a sad little life Jane"

Come Dine With Me follows a group of strangers as they compete to be crowned the ultimate dinner party host, with each contestant creating their own version of the perfect dinner party, which will see them scored out of ten by each guest. 

“Twenty years ago everyone thought reality TV was a flash in the pan, but it’s become a fixed item on traditional TV channels and on-demand services like Netflix who’ve recently had huge success with Too Hot To Handle,” said Rick Murray, managing director, Manchester-based Workerbee, which makes new Channel 4’s reality show, The Bridge, based on a Spanish format.   

Once again participants will get the opportunity to be anyone they want to be in order to gain popularity.

Emma Willis will return to host and comedian Sophie Willan will continue to voiceover the reality series.

To follow covid-19 filming guidelines, there will be no studio audience or live shows and the format will change to a pre-recorded set-up.  

Players will move into their own separate apartments in the same apartment block and the only way they can communicate is through a social media platform called The Circle.

The consequences of being pushed into the spotlight so suddenly is the main focus of the drama and tells the story of Billy (Tom Brittney), a young man who gets a shot at fame when he impresses the producers of a fictional reality show.

Billy is excited for his life to change, but a year after the show has aired he is struggling to balance his newfound fame, social media pressures and tabloid kiss and tells.

With his other co-stars enjoying thriving careers, Billy has to deal with strangers making assumptions about him and deeply buried insecurities coming to the surface.