[michael21]

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/b...030895.article

Big Brother will be made more experimental and Endemol will aim to pull in more casual viewers as part of the show’s response to the emerence of structured reality.

The super-indie has used BB’s shift to Channel 5 to examine all elements of the long-running reality show and, while the “sacrosanct” format will remain unchanged, the production techiques will evolve.

Executive producer Gavin Henderson said the show will adopt techniques from the emerging crop of reality TV shows to ensure the show feels current.

“Big Brother does what it does extremely well but it isn’t a TOWIE or a Made In Chelsea,” he said. “But the humour, the awareness of the manipulation that the viewers have of those shows, as well as their use of music are things we need to note.”

He added that reality TV audiences will no longer tolerate the combination of a long, wide shot coupled with a slow actuality sequence, for example.

The way in which the show is framed will also evolve in order to make it easier for viewers to dip in and out of and extend its appeal beyond its hardcore fans.

“The combination of relying on actuality in real time and an analytical voiceover with date stamps made it quite a loyal watch and not the kind of thing a casual viewer would be invited to come to,” Henderson said.

“But by cutting it differently, adjusting the pace and adding more signposting gives people permission not to have to watch it for three months religiously. We will jump into scenes later, signpost more and use music beds where appropriate.”

Henderson added that BB will be given a “lightness of touch” not seen during its ten year run on Channel 4 to better reflect the demands of its new broadcaster.

“There is a perfect synthesis between the values that C5 has as a commercial channel and its outlook in terms of what its want from the show,” he said. “What Big Brother needs is the ability to enjoy itself without worrying too much about any ramifications that ultimately tie you in knots.”

Around 70% of the crew working on the latest series have previously worked on the format, which has given Endemol the confidence to make the changes.

“Big Brother is a massive machine that allows you to make a programme faster than you can think. But the problem with that machine is it will produce the same show again and again,” Henderson said. “The key is to have the right people with the intelligence and experience to say if we make a tweak, this will happen as a consequence, but the show will be better as a result.”

Henderson recognised that not all fans will appreciate the changes but said he was hopeful it will be seen as a “positive evolution.”

Mobile highlights

There will be no 24 hour live online feed of the events in the Big Brother house this year and video highlight clips will be available via mobile instead.

Henderson said the decision was taken because it “felt more appropriate” to allow people to interact and vote with the show using their phones.

Endemol chief executive Tim Hincks added it remained a unique digital proposition for broadcasters.

“Whereas before it was all about live streaming, now it’s about how viewers engage with it via social media,” Hincks said.

He added that each summer the show amasses an “extraordinary following” online and, after ten years, no other show shares its potential to be both a digital and TV proposition.

Hincks said that while rival reality shows such as The X Factor see huge amounts of online engagement, its live run was shorter than Big Brother’s

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