[Red Moon]

Big Brother 6: Great or awful?

The sixth series of Channel 4's Big Brother, which ends on Friday, unleashed a psychic witch, a former Tory speechwriter and a stiletto-wearing Turkish male bellydancer onto the viewing public.

Its viewing figures remained steady, but it has not set the front pages alight as in previous years.

View 1: "Dull and unlikeable" - John Hand, BBC News website

BB6 just never sparked. The house layout did not provide any claustrophobic feeling, the tasks barely entertained the housemates - never mind us - and the recurring secret mission theme grew tiresome.

Mostly, it is the 16 housemates who were to blame, with early evictees so dull they will not even enjoy the usual fate of 12 months of C-list celebrity status.

Vanessa was the woman less interesting than watching paint stay wet.

Previous series had already given us a prancing queen (Brian), a glamourpuss with a clothing allergy (Shell), a love story (Helen and Paul) and a juvenile dimwit (Jade). So we had no room in our hearts for Kemal, Orlaith, Saskia, Maxwell and Kinga.

Three "characters" who could have been contenders blew it.

Derek wasn't half as clever as he thought he was. Overly-aggressive Science only showed his wit in his post-eviction interview. And Makosi wanted the whole show to rotate around her.

Anthony was the silent partner in BB6's best storyline - unrequited love. But Craig was as unlikeable as he was creepy.

As for Eugene, the geek may inherit the Earth but only because many final week voters never suffered one of his rambling anecdotes. He's just BB4's supernerd Jon Tickle, without the charisma.

The whole series is summed up by its best moment - when the contestants were challenged to climb inside cardboard boxes and stay there. Great idea with one flaw. The producers forgot the sealing tape.

View 2: "Refreshing viewing" - James Bregman, BBC News website

BB6 has proved the most compelling edition of the show in years.

Big Brother's 'evil' tone last year stirred up tantrums and even fisticuffs, but could not avert the usual stifling blandness.

This year's version has had the most refreshingly bold and watchable protagonists since Jade in 2002.

It has been entertaining to witness Kemal, Derek and Eugene manoeuvre into venomous cliques, taking up new sniping positions after each eviction.

The audience has got more canny this year. The early demises of Sam and Leslie showed that serial flesh-baring doesn't make you interesting, and viewers sensibly protected divisive figures like Craig.

The easily-flustered hairdresser's presence was invaluable as a driving force in the sniping and for his unrequited adoration for Anthony.

The programme structure has felt less contrived; no gimmicks as lame as prison-bars this year, and the meat-and-drink bickering has been more notable than the format.

Novel twists have often been productive, like the secret missions and master-stroke of giving Eugene a moral dilemma worth £50,000.

The low quality of rival reality shows also frames Big Brother in a good light; next to The Farm and Celebrity Love Island, it looks extremely well-made.

The producers will be lucky to again hit on such an eclectic bunch of oddballs as the class of 2005.

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Source: The BBC