MM
MM: What kind of impact has it had on other factual genres?
The reality genre has had a
huge impact on other kinds of factual genres. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that there’s been a more general restyling of many
kinds of factual content, from news and investigative programmes, through documentary to lifestyle and reality TV as a whole. The mix of different styles – that focus on drama and entertainment, that focus on conflict – that characterises reality TV has become much more present within other kinds of factual programming. In the audience research I’ve done, one of the viewers described it as ‘things were becoming reality-infected.’ For many viewers this was a problem, a cause for concern. They don’t want their news to be like Big Brother, they want it to be trustworthy and good and proper, so they know about what’s going on in the world; and they want Big Brother to be entertaining and a game.
MM: How do different audiences relate to reality TV,
and how do they use it? It’s often claimed that reality
TV only appeals to stupid people, and we have to start by saying that that’s just simply not true! Firstly, it’s precisely the experimental nature
of it, the fact that it is a mix of the things you like in other shows, a bit of soap opera, a bit of documentary, a bit of a talk show. We’re attracted to that hybrid nature of the genre. Sometimes, in a programme like Britain’s Got Talent the experimental mixing of genres works perfectly. A second factor would be the emphasis on emotions, drama, relationships: our hopes and fears and dreams, and what makes us angry, what makes us cry, what makes us happy. All of that is performed within these kinds of reality TV shows. And we get to interact with these people, whether through arguing with them, relating to them, or voting for or against them. And we get to think about our own relationships and what we do in similar situations in some way. So the ‘people’ element and the emotions is crucially important. Another big factor is that because sometimes
half of the population is watching one show at any one time we become part of the event of a reality TV show, where it builds up momentum week by week. Strictly is a wonderful example of that; it builds week by week on the BBC and we not only watch the show, but we read the newspapers about the show, we follow the training of the dancers, the comments of the celebrities, we vote for them. And the show becomes like a big juggernaut coming towards us, gathering viewers, through to the end to the big finale. That’s a wonderful example of the way that the genre works so well in drawing in the public so that they can participate in something really truly social in society.
MM: What about different demographics – in terms of
class, gender, age, etc? Reality TV couldn’t be the success
story it is if it didn’t appeal to lots of different kinds of audiences. It’s an all-round pleaser, an all- round entertainer. It manages this
by drawing on the things we like about other genres. However, we do know some things: first of all, it appeals to younger viewers. I would call some older viewers ‘reality refuseniks’, whereas a lot of younger viewers, especially around 15-35 are much more attracted to the experimental nature of the genre, and the fact that it’s about people, about following ideas and subjects and emotions, and seeing what unfolds. Women tend to like it a bit more than men, and that’s certainly related to the fact that much reality TV draws on soap opera which, traditionally, has been a genre that appeals to women. Over the last 10 years it’s become much more appealing to both men and women, with big talent shows like Strictly or The X Factor, while shows like The Apprentice or Dragons’ Den are aimed specifically at a more male market. And as the genre develops I think it’s going to need to cover both men and women. The third area we should look at is class.
Different kinds of classes are represented in the shows themselves. The Secret Millionaire is a
16 MediaMagazine | December 2009 | english and media centre
wonderful example of a programme in which somebody who has made a lot of money and taken themselves out of their working-class roots, goes back in to have another look at it. Regardless of whether they’re rich or poor, viewers tend to have similar responses. So in this case, reality TV unites the public across gender, and across class, and this makes it appealing to the audience, even though it’s representing different classes within the shows themselves.
MM: What’s your own
favourite reality show? Most recently my favourite show
is anything to do with the chorister Gareth Malone. In his recent series Unsung Town we see him taking a deprived community that’s had its
share of problems and along he comes and tries to persuade people that singing together can
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