View Full Version : Anger over Big Brother 'comeback'
More than 1,000 people have complained to media watchdog Ofcom about Channel 4 plans to allow a previously evicted Big Brother housemate to return.
Fans said they did not want to call premium rate phonelines again to stop candidates returning to the house.
Organisers have invited viewers to pick four from 10 evicted contestants. One of the four will be put back into the house by the remaining housemates.
Channel 4 has said all profits raised from the vote will go to charity.
"As soon as the phone lines opened following Friday night's show, viewers flooded the voting lines to bring an ex-housemate back in what is proving to be one of the most popular votes this series," said a spokeswoman.
"Almost £150,000 has already been raised for charity from this vote alone."
'Naive egotists'
Meanwhile, the seventh series has drawn criticism from natural historian Desmond Morris, who said "the level of cruelty this year exceeds anything seen before.
"If the present trend continues in future years, Big Brother may well become a laboratory experiment so extreme it will end up being banned," he writes in the Radio Times.
A zoologist, author and TV presenter, Morris is best known for his 1967 publication The Naked Ape.
Whoever is picked to return to the house after this week's eviction will remain in the house until the show ends on 18 August, and will be eligible for the show's £100,000 prize.
Morris calls this year's contestants "unusually unpleasant"
The current favourite to return is 24-year-old Nikki Grahame, the seventh housemate to be evicted from the show.
Morris told the Radio Times this year's series features "an unusually unpleasant bunch of weirdos" united by the fact that they are all "naive egotists".
In the same issue, however, TV presenter Dermot O'Leary - host of E4's Big Brother's Little Brother - defends what he calls "the biggest show for the past decade".
"The cruelty is all part and parcel of Big Brother," he is quoted as saying. "But one thing I do know is that the level of aftercare is tremendous."
Evicted housemates, he said, were "not just dumped back into their environment and left to get on with it".
I saw this and in a way, I do agree with it. People voted these housemates out and those that were evicted with a high percentage of the vote (Grace springs to mind) shouldn't be given the opportunity to go back in and win. If they were ineligible to win, I wouldn't be so bothered, but because they are, I don't agree with it.
As much as i want Nikki to go back in as shed be entertaining, she was voted out for a reason therefore why should she be able to win. Like Ems said if they were ineligable to Win then i think it would be a great idea and a good way to make money, but these arent the rules of teh "game"
people are just sad acts to do this, if you dont like it then dont watch it, i never understand why people phone in and complain - have they got lives
the money is going to charity for pities sake, and it will liven up the last week of Big Brother. I can understand why people are annoyed, but at the end of the day if you've spent "a fortune" to evict people then that's your own problem, one text should suffice. People know what Big Brother is like, and this twist was no doubt inevitable.
people are just sad acts to do this, if you dont like it then dont watch it, i never understand why people phone in and complain - have they got lives
the money is going to charity for pities sake, and it will liven up the last week of Big Brother. I can understand why people are annoyed, but at the end of the day if you've spent "a fortune" to evict people then that's your own problem, one text should suffice. People know what Big Brother is like, and this twist was no doubt inevitable. I dont think its the money going to charity but thats the problem for people - its where people have spent money on voting them out, only to find they could go back in. I begrudged paying the money to get Grace out, but had to, otherwise I couldnt complain if she stayed.
I think people phone in as if they didnt, tv bosses wouldn't know whether the viewers liked it or not.
xXxJessxXx
08-08-2006, 13:33
I saw this and in a way, I do agree with it. People voted these housemates out and those that were evicted with a high percentage of the vote (Grace springs to mind) shouldn't be given the opportunity to go back in and win. If they were ineligible to win, I wouldn't be so bothered, but because they are, I don't agree with it.
I totally agree with you. I think people should have the right to complain. People have vites these people out and for them to get the chance to go back in and win is just not fair. I think the viewers have a right to stay what they feel because without us they wouldnt have a show. If viewers didnt spend money evicting the housemates before they wouldnt have been able to contiune with the show. Like you said if they weren't eligible to win it would really matter, because they wouldnt gain anything from it(Money wise) But they have been evicted and shouldn't be allowed to win! And yeah ok the money goes to charity but the person who goes in could win £100,000 if the producers are that bothered about charities why dont they give that prize money away. The voting money is going to charity but its only one week! What about the other 12 weeks when the majority of money has gone to them! They clearly arnt bothered about charities, more so about their own profits. The fact that this person will be gaurntied a place in the final means a housemate who has been in there for 13 - 11 (if you aislyene) - 7 (if your Jennie) weeks will be evicted to make space for them. It doesnt seem fair on the current housemates, they may as well have given up and gotten evicted and they still would have had a chance to win. Its about morals!
I'm thrilled that this twist is happening and it will be great tv... but only if they werent allowed to win! Even if my fav housemate of all time Nikki wereto go in i'd be happy but i still wouildnt want her to win and dont think it's fair. Aislyene and Imogen deserve it more than her which pains me to say because i hate them both! and like you said the whole thing about Grace... i dont think id ever watch again if she won! Or any of the ex housemates for that hatter! I dont think the ex housemate will have a chance of winning because i think angry viewers will be annoyed and vote them out as quick as they went in! Hope im making sense and not just rambling on... :angel:
i think its brilliant that the votes are going to charity but i do get what people are saying about one of them eventually going back into the house and able to win the money.
As i seen on another forum earlier VOTE FOR WHO YOU WANT TO WIN!!! just bacause they go back into the house does not mean they are going to win if you dont vote for them!!
didnt see the point of starting a new thread
The premium rate phone watchdog has launched an investigation into Channel 4's decision to allow evicted housemates back on to Big Brother.
Some 2,700 complaints have been sent to Icstis from viewers unhappy at being asked to vote again for contestants they thought had left for good.
The inquiry could result in Channel 4 refunding an estimated £3m to people who took part with phone or text votes.
Meanwhile, either Imogen Thomas or Richard Newman will leave on Friday.
They both joined the four returning contestants - Grace Adams-Short, Lea Walker, Mikey Dalton and Nikki Graham - in a separate house next door following nominations.
Imogen is the runaway favourite to be evicted in the public vote, according to bookmaker William Hill.
It has given odds of 1/33 that she will go, compared to 10/1 for Richard.
The majority of the complainants believe that they have been misled as they were under the impression that they had voted to evict the contestants permanently
Icstis statement
On Friday evening, the housemate who survives the public vote will return to the main house with a former evictee.
The remaining housemates will have to choose which of the four they want to rejoin them in the house for the final week.
Nikki is the 1/4 favourite, with Lea at 11/4, Mikey at 16/1 and Grace - who is celebrating her 21st birthday - as the outsider on 20/1.
'Must not mislead'
Icstis is checking whether Big Brother breached its code of practice by asking viewers to vote for their return to the show.
This states that "services and promotional material must not mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise".
Imogen is the overwhelming favourite to leave on Friday evening
"The majority of the complainants believe that they have been misled as they were under the impression that they had voted to evict the contestants permanently," the regulator's statement said.
It could decide to fine Big Brother's premium rate service providers up to £250,000 or bar their phone lines and text voting facilities.
Alternatively it may rule that guidelines have been followed and that there is no case to answer.
The Icstis investigation is expected to take no more than three months.
Channel 4 has defended the latest twist in the reality show's seventh series, saying all profits from the phone vote are being donated to charity.
"We welcome the investigation and will of course fully co-operate with Icstis in this matter," a Big Brother spokeswoman said.
Channel 4 has defended the latest twist in the reality show's seventh series, saying all profits from the phone vote are being donated to charity.I'm not bothered about the money going to charity - thats fine. I dont think that was the issue. It was the money that was spent to get the housemate out in the first place which is the problem (to only find they are going back in and could win. If they couldn't win - fine no probs, but the fact that they can win too (why does Nikki - BB7 winner spring to mind ) and it smells a little bit like the Golden Ticket situation to me.
I see where you are coming from.. It would be fine if they couldn't win like when they sent back in Jon Tickle but this is stupid that you vote someone out and they get back in...
If you wanted someone to win, you wouldn't have voted them out
xXxJessxXx
11-08-2006, 14:14
Channel 4 has defended the latest twist in the reality show's seventh series, saying all profits from the phone vote are being donated to charity.
This is not the reason people are annoyed. Its mainly because many people including myself have basically wasted money evicted housemates thate now have a chance to go and win. The money spent evicting housemates didnt go to charity did it... (Ok 10p did but thats hardly a lot!) ... No it went to channel 4! So they have raked in loads of money and have now put the evicted housemates back in the game to win £70,000.
I spent money voting to evict three of the four ex housemates Lea, Grace and Mikey. I voted to evict them which obviously means i didnt want to see them back on my tv again! I refuse to vote one of the four back into the house even though it is for charity. If BB were that worried about the money going to charity they would have made the cost of friday eviction votes a higher percentage of it going to charity. Instead they sent 10p from each vote off to charity and kept the other 52p (In my case) for them selves!
Its principal. If they would have made it clear from the begining that people you evicted would have a chance to be voted back in, in the final week, i wouldn't have voted to evict the people i didnt liek and save the ones i did because i knew they would be a chance for them to still win! But BB and channel 4 wouldnt do that because they would loose out on their own profits!
Then when having the chane to vote a housemated back in i would have voted and this money owuld have gone to charity and again BB and channel 4 would have lost out! They dont care about charity and it probably works out that say (because i know she's probably the most hated housemate!lol) the money we all spent evicting Grace out, if she was to back in and happend to win (Though she never would) the public would probably have raised enough money gettign her evicted to cover her prize money of £70,000. So the money we spent on texts and calls my as well have gone to her!(Making sense?)
The there's the unfairty of this whole thing on the remaining housemates! They might as well have given up weeks ago! Its ridiculous.
:mad: :angry: :thumbsdow
Jada-GDR
11-08-2006, 16:11
i half agree, half dont. i think people appreciate the housemates more when they're not in the house, like grace, but people have payed good money (some people probably payed masses) to get them out, so it's not very fair if they get back in again. however... NIKKI TO WIN :cheer: one of the reasons i'm pleased with it.
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