Satisfaction declines among viewers with each subsequent Big Brother series, but those who watch the Channel 4 programme are generally satisfied with the housemates of the current and final series, our poll has found.
When we asked the British public which of the eleven Big Brother series they thought was the best, 22% of those who said they watched the programme chose Series 1, followed by ten percent for Series 2 and 3. The other series received between zero and six percent of the vote, with a slight increase for the most recently-ended Series 11, which received eight percent.
Big Brother 11 finished abruptly on August 24th as the producers announced that a final series, involving some of the most loved and loathed housemates from previous series, would follow immediately. This ‘Ultimate’ Big Brother has reunited series winners Brian Dowling, Nadia Almada and Ulrika Johnson, as well as Nikki Grahame, ‘Nasty’ Nick Bateman, and Chantelle Houghton alongside other former contestants from previous shows. Bristol-based Josie Gibson, who won the series prior and re-entered the house just twenty minutes after her victory, has since walked out, saying ‘I’m not a celebrity…I couldn’t handle it’. She left unexpectedly on Day 3, walking straight into the arms of on-off boyfriend and former contestant, John James.
Likely line-up
Although 82% of the general public say they are not watching the current series, those who are have generally welcomed the set of contestants, with 44% feeling that the line-up is ‘good’ compared to 37% who say it is ‘bad’. However, the likelihood with which viewers will be switching on or off is split down the middle: although 31% say that the line-up of contestants has made them more likely to watch, a nearly-identical 32% say it has made them change channel. Equally, 31% say that they would definitely watch the rest of Ultimate Big Brother, ‘regardless of the line-up’.
It seems that most are happy to see the back of the housemates, though, as 61% of the public are ‘delighted’ that the current series marks the final installment of the Channel 4 phenomenon. An ambivalent quarter (25%) ‘don’t mind’, while a small but sad eight percent are ‘dismayed’ that the show will soon be coming to a close.
