[karl100589]

I find 12 to be an interesting series to watch from a technical standpoint. When they took over the franchise it was clear Channel 5 had a different view of what they wanted Big Brother to be; something very much in the TOWIE mould of vapid characterization and overproduction. This is seen very early on in BB12; Marcus' narration is garish, the montages are too frequently used and the cast choice gears too much to the 18-30 crowd with little diversity. The show could've done for example without one of Anton, Adel or Jay for example. As the show progressed though the mood towards the show started to change, Channel 5 started to find their feet and by the end it was similar to later series Channel 4.

In terms of the series itself I felt the casting choices limited the amount of potential drama. Outside of Aaron, their was zero plots to keep me engaged and no characters that felt like they offered anything new; Alex's lovable dimwit role had been tread countless times, Jay was a less-interesting Geordie Shore reject and whilst I found Anton's Victor-wannabe persona funny for it's awfulness it was still a poor rehash.

The only character that offered anything new in terms of personality was Aaron. He was witty, intelligent and had a great way of wrapping the show and the housemates for his own gain. The issue however was Aaron was so prominent it became difficult if you didn't like him, and while I liked the guy he played the sympathy card a tonne.

12 is a weak series, but it should get some leeway for being Channel 5's first true attempt (not counting CBB8's blatant trial run) and it helped lead to the brilliant 13.