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challenging behaviour, they’re going to treat the teenagers in particular kinds of ways. Somehow we have to allow producers the leeway to do that. We have to weigh up how far do we want this kind of reality TV as entertainment and how far we want the ethical treatment of people who are really challenged within these shows. And I don’t have an easy answer to it.
MM: How much can we ‘trust’
reality TV? Renowned documentary maker,
Roger Graef’s idea of chains of trust and distrust is a wonderful concept for us to use in the analysis of reality television. I would say at
its best, reality TV can invoke a chain of trust. Gareth Malone’s The Choir is a great example of that, where the documentary elements really allow us to place trust in the programme-makers and build up that bond with the audience where we do trust that this show has been made fairly and ethically and with a lot of consideration. If the genre continues to deal with big issues to do with health and education and mind, body and spirit matters or family breakdown, or the ‘broken Britain’ theme, then the programme-makers really need to build trust with the viewers.
They’re dealing with serious issues and this requires a basis of trust that people have been treated fairly, that it’s a well-made programme with an ethical consideration to participation.
MM: Can you give an example that you think really shouldn’t
be broadcast? One personal example for me
of an area where I think reality TV maybe crosses the moral line and where you have to say no, I don’t want to watch that, I wish that hadn’t
been made, is a show on Five called The Baby Mind Reader. This was a show where a psychic felt that he could improve the lives of very, very distraught families by somehow psychically accessing the minds of their babies. And whilst he made some behavioural improvements with the show, it was so incredibly difficult and it was in such a grey area of belief and hopes and faith in something that felt just too personal for
the programme-makers even to be covering. It was so contentious that, in fact, I felt maybe this wasn’t a topic for television, and it was something that should have been kept private.
MM: Can you foresee where we might be going next with
reality TV? The trend that we’ve seen already
set over the last few years for reality talent shows is going to continue, for lots of reasons. One is that variety is an absolute fundamental part of
popular culture, and it’s part of its history from day 1, and it will continue to be a crucial part of the way popular culture develops in the future. And secondly, economically and in terms of production issues, the birth of the format, which allows a particular show to be reproduced around the world, will continue to ride the wave in popular TV genres. Looking at social and cultural trends more
broadly, I think we’re going to see some kind of move towards issues to do with the mind, body and spirit, perhaps to do with religious beliefs but, more importantly, in the way that
we relate to our dead relatives – getting in touch with them; speaking to psychics. These issues are already featuring in daytime TV, and talk shows; Most Haunted is one quite long- running example. I expect to see examples of spiritual transformation shows in the future. We can also expect to see even more short-term examples of programmes that deal directly with the economic crisis – how to make more money, how to improve your CV, how to get a job in a difficult environment. So we’ll see some short-term responses to specific issues that we’re dealing with right now and I think, some longer-term trends that clearly raise much bigger questions to do with what happens to us when we die. And I think reality TV will absolutely deal with that.
Annette Hill was interviewed by Jenny Grahame.
MoreMediaMag Watch Annette Hill discussing reality TV in MediaMagClips.
18 MediaMagazine | December 2009 | english and media centre
Autopsy Life and Death by kind permission of Dragonfly Film and Television Productions Ltd; Strictly Come Dancing Judges (L-R) Craig Revel Horwood, Arlene Phillips, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli 2008 BBC Photo Library © BBC Rex
Features.com for images from Britain’s Got Talent; Twenty Twenty TV for images from The Choir;
Image.net for Most Haunted and Changing Rooms; Channel 4 Press Site for Dating in the Dark and Secret Millionaire
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