Big Brother is a hybrid format that is both innovative and engaging and, as such, warrants critical attention. In an attempt to move the debate beyond discussions of ‘tabloidization’ and narratives of decline, this paper examines Big Brother in terms of the production strategies, textual innovations and the various ways in which audiences are able to interact with this media event. It is argued here that Big Brother is an important precursor to fully interactive TV, and a significant prototype for future media events.
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