Human Behaviour DON’T TELL THE BRIDE

Information There had been fears that because BBC Three was moving online, the programme might be cancelled.

First shown in 2008, Don't Tell The Bride follows the journey of different couples as the groom is put in charge of planning their upcoming weddings.

According to BBC One Controller Charlotte Moore, the new look Don't Tell The Bride will still "retain all the elements fans of the show love but re-imagined for a broad audience"

It's believed that to cater more for BBC One's target audience the show will feature older couples.

The budget for planning the wedding will remain at £12,000. BBC Three content is modern, distinctive and relevant - though not exclusively - to our core 16-34 year old target audience. The tone of the channel is warm, personal and surprising with real take-out value.

information… Target audience: - 16-34 year olds - specifically women Themes of narrative: - weddings - man plans the day ( the dress, venue, etc.) - disaster - love / romance Phrases often used: ‘the most important day of her life’ ‘the emotional journey of men who lack the maturity needed to commit’

About the programme Genres - Reality television, Documentary Created by - Jon Rowlands Narrated by - Ruth Jones (Series 1) , Rebekah Staton (Series 2–8) , Zoë Ball (BBC One)

Country of origin- United Kingdom Original language(s) - English No. of series- 8 (BBC Three) , 1 (BBC One) No. of episodes - 83 + 21 specials (BBC Three) , 6 (BBC One)

Production company(s) - Renegade Pictures (part of Shed Media)

Institution - BBC

Location(s) – Various

Running time - 60 minutes

Production company(s) - Renegade Pictures (part of Shed Media)

Original channel - BBC Three (2007–)BBC One (2015–)

Picture format - 16:9 576i (SDTV)

Original release - 8 November 2007 – present

Format Don't Tell the Bride' is a reality series where the groom is left the responsibility of planning an entire wedding leaving his bride completely in the dark. The couple are separated for a few weeks whilst the groom organises their wedding, choosing every detail such as the venue, cake and wedding dress. The bride is not told what is going on during the planning process.

The show's format consists of a couple who are given £12,000 (£14,000 in the BBC One version) to spend on their wedding. However, they must spend three weeks apart without contact, and the bridegroom must organise every aspect of the event and attire, including the wedding dress, as well as the hen and stag parties, surprising the bride.

Although the series mostly features heterosexual couples, one episode broadcast in October 2010 featured a gay couple and another in November 2011 featured a lesbian couple, both preparing for their civil partnership.

Representations Women: - role of brides, mothers, sisters, friends - stereotypical representations of femininity, emotional and sensitive, most episodes show clips of women crying also in some cases shown as neurotic/paranoid and as perfectionist.

Men: - groom, friends, father of the bride - often made to look foolish, uninterested, inattentive, unorganised. - stereotypical representations- lacking maturity although featuring mostly heterosexual relationships, its also featured same sex couples.