'Reality' tv shows vs scripted programmes

Before I begin, if you are a fan of reality tv or have watched Big Brother and enjoyed it and/or voted for your 'favourite', you might be insulted by this post and should probably stop reading now...

What do I mean...
Reality tv in one form or another has been around for as long as tv itself, however it became incredibly popular around 1999 with the likes of Big Brother. The genre can include anything that is unscripted and generally doesn't involve professional acting, from game shows and quiz shows to talk shows, from celebrities in a jungle to a random collection of 'average' people in a house. 


For the purposes of this post, when I say 'reality tv shows' I don't mean quiz shows or game shows or the likes, I will be referring to shows that frankly just take the mick, that require the general public to waste their money to remove people from 'the house' or 'the jungle': Big Brother, I'm a celebrity get me out of here, that sort of thing.When I say scripted, I mean just general comedies, dramas or soaps.


So let me start by saying, I'm not a HUGE tv fan, but I do enjoy sitting down and watching a light hearted comedy, or a documentary or a film every now and then. I used to watch a lot more tv than i do now, this may have something to do with having such little time for menial activities such as tv these days, but more than that, I become genuinely annoyed at tv and the media because of all the attention given to such classless programmes. 


What is the purpose of 'Big Brother' for example? Well after a long while researching, i still haven't found the answer! In case you've been more successful than me at avoiding such trivial wastes of time, the premise of the show is to take a group of 'ordinary' people and stick them in a house to live together isolated from the outside world, surrounded by television cameras 24 hours a day. Sounds riveting, no? Frankly the people on such shows aren't normal and they don't represent a cross section of society. Obviously anyone is going to act differently surrounded by cameras watching their every move, so these people aren't even acting like themselves! I don't understand why anyone would want to I watch it though, if I wanted to watch people eat I could sit and stare at my family at dinner time; if I wanted to watch people sleep, I could sit and watch my little brothers or little sisters sleep; if I wanted to watch people argue and fight, I could just sit and observe my siblings! Granted if I did any of the above for the purposes of entertainment, I'd have some problems, but is it not weirder watching people you don't know fight/sleep/eat? The entire concept is just ridiculous!



As for 'I'm a celebrity, get me out of here', let's face it, they're not celebrities, maybe once they were but this show is worse than 'Strictly come dancing' as a tool to regain one's dwindling 'career'! Granted it may have boosted some careers, in the case of Myleene Klass for example, but let's face it, the 'celebrities' in the jungle are just as fake as the 'normal people' in the Big brother house. Why do I think this, I hear you ask? They know exactly what goes on in that jungle as there have been 10 seasons so far, so why act horrified and disgusted when asked to eat a crocodile eye? 
What annoys me possibly most isn't, well, all of the above, its that during the however many weeks a season of Big brother or I'm a celebrity is on for, it is all over the news and breakfast shows and media in general. Fair enough it is the Sun and the Mirror but still I'm sure there are more newsworthy stories out there? I'd rather hear actual news, not who fell out with whom, or who fainted in the jungle, its not news and there are much more important things in life! With that I think I should end this rant and move on!