You Could Have It So Much Better

It seems I actually have the urge to talk about Big Brother. I don’t mean the one we are subjected to with that tedious National Party voting, organic farming top-who-likes-to-take-it (I wonder if that gaydar name is taken?) and his pretty but bland associates. I’m talking about the real deal: Big Brother UK.

The British have always treated Big Brother as more of a freak show than we do, and have never tolerated bland contestants. Contestants are chosen who will stir conflict and controversy, and this year has certainly been no exception. Housemate Shahbaz claimed that he was going to attempt suicide on air, before walking out of his own accord. Another housemate, Dawn, was evicted by producers for receiving coded messages from the outside telling her that she was on the receiving end of negative publicity, only to stage a hunger strike, demanding access to unedited footage of her time in the house in order to clear her name. She is threatening legal action over the way she was depicted on the show, taking particular exception to the implication that she does now wash regularly.

Another contestant claims to have the largest breast implants in Britain, and an intruder called Sam is actually biologically male, but is telling the housemates she’s a woman. Best of all, the likely winner is a wannabe rock singer called Pete, who has a pretty severe case of Tourette’s syndrome. If this all sounds horribly exploitative, that’s because it is, but Pete’s popularity has less to do with being funny than with his quite endearing personality overall and his positive attitude to overcoming the quite considerable hurdles he has faced in his life.

Indeed, if he wins he will fit in rather well with other BBUK winners who have helped humanise a marginalised group in society. Of course there was season 5 winner Nadia, who made a guest appearance on our version after helping create a significantly higher level of public acceptance of transgender people in the UK, and there was also the season 2 winner, the hilariously camp Brian Dowling, who built acceptance of another marginalised group close to your heart and mine: trolley dollies.