reality television

Genre of television programme popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s that gave a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ view of ordinary people in manufactured but unscripted situations. The first major hit was Survivor (2000), in which a group of people had to survive together on a desert island.

Though controversial for its voyeuristic appeal, reality television gained popularity throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, and South Africa. Another successful programme was Big Brother, in which hidden cameras and microphones recorded the daily lives of a group of people confined to a small house. Themes of other programmes included physical endurance, fear, and sexual fidelity.