Reality TV Dominates Festive Charts and Programming

Written for Mooch Magazine, January 2009

Reality TV Dominates Festive Charts and Programming
Sophie Maden

THE reality TV format has had a huge influence on British culture, ever since the early days of Popstars, which ‘discovered’ the likes of Suzanne Shaw, Kim Marsh, and the cringe-worthy Darius Danesh and his uncomfortably high voice. Nowadays reality TV programmes have become an integral part of the festive period, with shows like The X Factor pulling in a record 14million viewers for its 2008 live final.

As Celebrity Big Brother makes its return to our screens this month following the controversy of the Shilpa Shetty race-row, it seems that not only has the reality format begun to tire, but the reality ‘stars’ are even being recycled. Celeb BB usually prides itself on the fact that none of its celeb’s have before appeared on a reality show. This year however features contestant Michelle Heaton, who initially found fame in Popstars, and has since gone on to be the subject of a reality TV binge-drinking experiment, as well as the forgettable Michelle and Andy’s Big Day, with her now ex-husband, Andy Scott-Lee. Dancing on Ice also sees the return of X Factor loser Ray Quinn, and ex-Popstar and now cricket WAG Jessica Taylor.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber also continues in his TV cross-over, this time giving the Eurovision Song Contest the benefit of his musical expertise, hoping to gain Britain a little more than nil point this year (which has obviously had nothing to do with world politics, of course). Still, anything has got to be better than lycra-clad 90s rejects Scooch with their cheesy lyrics and sexual innuendos.

Not only does reality TV dominate Christmas viewing, but it has also taken over the festive charts, and for the past FOUR years the X Factor winner’s single has reached the coveted Christmas number 1 slot. This year really exemplified the grasp reality TV has upon the British public, as not even a nationwide campaign to get Jeff Buckley’s rendition of Hallelujah to number one could knock X Factor winner Alexandra Burke off the top spot. The final chart before Christmas also featured the other X Factor Finalists, along with previous winner Leona Lewis with ‘Run’. Simon Cowell undoubtedly spent Christmas day counting his billions.

The chart also featured the single ‘Once Upon a Christmas Song’ from the mock reality contestant Geraldine, creation of Bolton comic Peter Kay. Kay’s parody Britain's Got the Pop Factor ...and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice received a mixed reception, but its ultimate aim to parody the plethora of reality shows and their contestants, all complete with sob stories, was achieved with ease, proving that even a comedian can influence the public to buy their single with a little TV exposure.

The reality TV chart take over is, perhaps, unfair on those real artists who have built themselves up the traditional way, through a mixture of talent, hard work and determination. This domination has angered many artists, the latest being new chart-contender Lady GaGa, who, speaking in The Sun, said: “If you win a TV show and you have a false understanding of what it means to earn success. Whereas with someone like me, who writes my own songs, you have to set yourself up to win.”

Few reality winners can be said to write their own songs, have an agenda or even individual style, perhaps with the exception of Will Young, who managed to break away from his Pop Idol label. In fact, the majority of the winner’s songs from the X factor are cover-versions, glammed up with a combination of glitter and gospel choirs. Not all reality contestants are as successful as the likes of Leona Lewis and Girls Aloud, and the British public have made a few errors of judgement over the years. Take, for example flop idols Michelle McManus and Steve Brookstein, who have disappeared off the music radar.

Now that Strictly Come Dancing is in its sixth year, and the X Factor in its fifth, isn’t it time that TV stopped churning out washed up, z-list celebs à la Ziggy and Chanelle, and gave musicians and performers with real talent and a history of hard graft, a chance at the limelight they deserve?