Reality TV

Reality TV

• Try and come up with a short and concise definition of what reality television means.

• List as many reality TV shows as you can. There are over 200 reality shows shown on British TV so don’t say you can’t think of any!

• What is the appeal of reality TV programmes?

Pick your favourite reality TV show and answer the below question.

• Genre – what sort of show is it?This isn’t as simple as you might think. A show like ‘Big Brother’ could be classed as:

• Documentary (social experiment exploring human behaviour under ‘artificial’ pressures.)

• Soap opera (based on a community)• Docu-soap (real life in a studio setting)• Game show (£100,000 prize money)

Brainstorm a list of shows that might fall into each of these categories:

• 1. 'Fly on the wall' reality TV shows (such as Airport, The Osborne's, Made, Sweet Sixteen and Holiday Reps).

• 2. TV-generated reality TV shows (such as Temptation Island, Survivor, Shipwrecked, Big Brother and The Real World). These are shows which want to make money!

• 3. Shows that blend the two (such as Blind Date and Singled Out).

Ownership• Which channel broadcasts your favourite

reality TV show?• Does it have a sponsor?• Who else profits from your favourite reality

TV show?

Audience – who watches it?

• Who is the main target audience? (You have to think about age range, gender, etc.)

• Is it a popular television show?• What time is it on?• Why does it appeal to people?