The shame game: legacy of reality TV shows

EVERY year it rolls around, and every year, despite the intellectual abasement, the blatant psychological abuse of ill-educated individuals, not to mention the exploitation of the psychiatrically unsound… regardless of all these factors, people tune in in their millions.

Channel 4, a broadcaster that once prided itself on being left-of-centre, prepared to give airtime to challenging, shocking or unusual programmes that would not see the light of day on other stations, more or less hands over the schedule to this slice of “reality” TV.

The most mundane, mind-numbingly boring drudgery will be microscopically picked over by psychologists, people-watchers and so-called experts. You can view the housemates 24 hours a day if you are so moved, between the TV shows and internet webcams. Why anyone would wish to watch a room of people sleeping is utterly beyond me, but apparently there is a market for it.