COMMENT - I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

When will TV execs come up with something new and exciting

By Ben Heath

With the return of I’m a Celebrity this Sunday, the age-old debate of whether recycled reality television should grace our screens has again resurfaced. I’m a Celebrity is just one of a number of reality shows - Big Brother, X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing to name a few- that have seemingly spanned entire decades, possibly even centuries. Critics will argue that the unoriginal format and seemingly narrow-minded contestant selection process (the classic ‘bitch-fight’ or controversial figure) only serve to strengthen the category of ‘trash TV’ that seems to permeate every channel as the prime-time viewing slot dawns. On the contrary, die-hard fans of these shows revel in the introduction of fresh new characters to the latest unscripted plot.

With live voting and forums, these fans actually become a part of the show - Channel 4 scandal aside. Whilst most of us, my household included, deny that we are slaves to such programmes, there is an ever-present need to see the latest conscripts to these shows. Whether the latest batch of D-list celebrities to enter the jungle or the latest batch of vomit-inducing performances from ‘Jedward’, the allure is difficult to resist. So should we really criticise these shows when they give us so much to talk about?

On Monday, the Guardian embraced the power of these shows and celebrated ‘Super Sunday’- a record high in viewing figures for both the BBC and ITV. Amongst the programmes responsible for these figures? I’m a Celebrity… and X Factor. It seems that despite wanting to deny our viewing of these programmes, almost a third of the population watched these particular two episodes. Media critics rarely bother to even address the existence of these shows and perhaps they lack the substance found in current affairs programmes that occupy other channels, but the figures speak for themselves. For the typical student they provide easy entertainment and a fairly shallow topic of conversation. Countless X Factor-related statuses may plague Facebook but they still spark conversation and debate. Yes, Big Brother may scrape the barrel in attempting to vary the ‘new’ houses but the process of getting to know (or hate) the new housemates is just too intriguing to dismiss.   

Whilst these particular shows may offer the average nobody the chance to become that famous ‘somebody’  and therefore appeal to the common man/woman, I’m a Celebrity…  could face fresh criticism due to its ‘elite’ format (although arguably the contestants are less elite than your average Joe). Just like the show’s format, the celebrities are recycled in a bid to re-launch flailing careers. Such a show relies on the desperation of the failed celebrity to participate in demeaning acts (kangaroo testicle anyone?). Whilst entertaining in parts, I’m a Celebrity… doesn’t just recycle the format but also the celebrity. Rather than watch to see a new star formed, we tune in to watch the old stars finally extinguish themselves in a spectacle that is merely a fall from grace. However, it is still entertainment and still provokes that initial question of “did you see…?”   

Perhaps the words of the ‘reformed’  Katie Price epitomise the nature of reality TV. Through I’m a Celebrity we saw the demise of the glamour model Jordan and the birth of Katie Price- mother and wife. Returning into the jungle this week, Ms Price stated that her return signalled “closure”. Like us, the viewer, solace and comfort is still invested in this equally loved and loathed genre of TV. Whilst undoubtedly a recycled format that rarely strays from its narrative, it is the stage on which anyone can participate and the window through which anyone can gaze.