Another year over, a new one just begun. Last year’s reality TV offerings didn't disappoint with the usual selection of offerings from 'X Factor' to 'I'm a Celebrity'  and 'Strictly'. Yet again our appetite for control over contestants fate and the Desire for people to show us the characteristics of themselves so we can gossip about them does not go away. Indeed, reality show outputs seem to be increasing year after year, some pushing the boundaries of what we expect beyond our expectations.

However, the one show that is somewhat different than the usual range undoubtedly has to be Big Brother. This program broken the ice of traditional values and makes us question the values of society today. From the show which once brought us an array of different people from society to appreciate and enjoy who were mostly genuine and truthful in their actions has now become a predictable media frenzied paparazzi event. The program has changed from people who enjoyed it for what it was and did not expect a major break into stardom to those who now know exactly what they are getting into. The show producers have picked up on this too, undoubtedly to please the younger audience it aims for, by now picking stereotypical people and ''extremes'' of personality, most of which only want the pay cheque at the end of the program.

Now don't get me wrong, not everyone who enters the house wants a career. AS a BB fan myself i know that you occasionally find the odd character that has not lived up to our expectations and, in fact , happens to surpasses them. Chanelle from Celebrity Big Brother was able to win the series despite not being a celebrity by her clever use of ambition and honesty with the public. Ambition is a strange thing, have too much of it, or be too open about it, and the public dislike you immensely. Have too little and people think you aren’t the real person you claim to be. The people that manage to present their traits and egos in the best possible way tend to be those who are the most successful. Most loved Pete for his unique but lovable personality, but Niki's tantrums annoyed us as viewers because it wasn't what we wanted or expected.

The 'reality' of what we see on Big Brother though is wildly disputed. It has been said that sometimes Big Brother executives give a poor representation of a person and then present another in a better light for us viewers to pick up on and vote/think according to how the executives want us to. What we see on the TV is undoubtedly edited meticulously to make us believe a certain viewpoint. After all, it is a 24 hour day squeezed into a 60 minute highlight show. Even the live feed has a delay and censorship imposed on it. Can we therefore use this as an excuse to attack the house-mates for the sins they have committed once they have come out? Many would say 'no, they edit them to look that way'. However, the material cannot be made up. Events that happened are shown to make a tv program exciting and you can’t blame the producers for that. I feel sorry for those who blame others for their actions when they leave the house, without first reflecting on their own actions themselves.

Though we all love to let these people into our homes and hearts for a few weeks, I'm afraid that even diehard fans like myself may be getting somewhat tired of the whole formula. When I would normally not want to miss a show tree years ago, I could happily miss a few without hesitation now. Deliberate actions to provoke and shock us are now expected, and no longer have the same impact as they used to. The amount of advertising breaks crammed into eviction and highlight programs has without doubt increased from a simple annoyance to full grown frustration, and the contestants are not as refreshing to watch as they once were.

Should we dispose of Big Brother? Has it become morally unjust? Or are we just sick of it? The answer is no, the program still contains elements of proper reality and the odd moment of satisfaction which we can all enjoy from time to time. Though it may not be perfect, it’s not dead and dying just yet. The new format of Celebrity Hijack should provide an interesting twist, and may be just the right addition for today’s reality addict. I look forward to tonight’s attempt at renewed big brother supremacy.