It rarely happens that an idea for a television series makes so much money as 'Big Brother'. On the other hand, it rarely happens that so many people who participate in a television series end up with as many psychological problems as those who have lived in a 'Big Brother house'.

This week marks the tenth anniversary of the show that started here in the Netherlands and launched a worldwide TV revolution. The Dutch reality show is now a hit in 72 countries.

It all started when eight run-of-the-mill Dutch citizens entered a house where they would spend 106 days under constant 24-hour-a-day camera scrutiny. They had no idea what to expect nor of the impact that the show, launched on 16 September 1999,would have around the world.

There was scepticism and criticism ahead of the launch but this gradually faded as the participants proved not to be constantly at each others throats.

In fact nothing much happened in the peaceful communal household. The housemates played the guitar, baked bread and took part in some kind of assignment every now and then. It was intriguing but not as scandulous as the fear-mongers had been preaching.

Squat house
Watching ordinary people doing ordinary things was a hit and TV execs from around the world were anxious to jump on this new bandwagon.

But what was reality TV doing to the people taking part in the shows? This was, and still is, a worry.
 

Ten years on the winner of that first  Big Brother, Bart, who is now 32, makes little attempt to hide his distaste for the show. He spent all the money he won and now lives in a run-down squat house. He makes a living by going to high schools where he gives lectures on traffic safety.

“I now see the whole thing as infantile. Of course we can identify with the people we see on television. It is the same as going to a supermarket. There are people there we can identify with as well. You can also go and watch them every day. What is it that people miss in their lives that they spend time watching Big Brother? They must have awfully sad lives. But they do it of their own free will.”

Love letters
Those first contestants had no idea of just what kind of impact the reality show was having – cocooned away from the outside world they were unaware the country was revolving around their lives. There was even a special magazine called the Big Brother newspaper, containing thousands of messages of encouragement and even love letters.

It was totally new a concept that broke the TV mould.

Professor Maarten Reesink, who teaches communications at Amsterdam University, considers Big Brother as one of the most brilliant ideas to have changed television. You can think up an endless number of varieties. Reality television is also a lot less expensive than a drama series and corresponds with today's society in which people bare their souls on websites.

Unexpected fame
The show's first series had an unexpected side effect: fame. Mr Reesink carried out a study of the show's participants.

"Each participant had a mental breakdown during the first year. All of them had periods of at least a week, and perhaps up to ten years, in which they experienced extreme agoraphobia, were completely confused or became binge drinkers. I believe that the most important reason is that everyone recognises them. Before the series they were told that people would recognise them on the street, but that this would end after a few months. Today they are still part of our collective memory."

The winner Bart and a contestant known as 'crazy' Ruud, who people found funny because of his loud farts, have suffered the most damage. Bart was afraid to leave the house for a long time after the show finished. People called out to him when they saw him on the street nearly every day.

"Take someone like Michael Jackson and film him walking down the street for half an hour and you'll see what I mean. What's happened to me is even worse. People shouted 'Hey Bartje, are you as dumb as Ruud?' What bothers me is that it seems that all the good conversations have been forgotten. They only remember the boredom or some disagreement. I don't recognise myself. But you can't fight against the image that's imprinted in their minds. I should have taken the money and emigrated. I spent all the money traveling, but I should have stayed somewhere else."

The show's inventor, John de Mol, has more pleasant memories. Big Brother is, or was, broadcast in 72 countries. Israel recently began to broadcast its first series. Which seems to confirm what media mogul De Mol and communications specialist Reesink believe: reality television is alive and kicking.

Modern Era
Nowadays there are many variations on the original theme with some versions of Big Brother intended for more than one market.

Big Brother Africa launched in 12 countries in 2003: Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Series 4, which launched on 6 September 2009 and will last 91 days, is also being shown in Ethiopia and Mozambique.

Big Brother has been successful in most of the markets where it has aired, but a notable exception is the Middle East, where a version re-named 'Al Rais' (The Boss) was produced in 2004, but was cancelled after just 11 days as it created major controversy in the countries in which it was aired.

Many viewers were offended by the fact that it featured six men and six women living together in one area, despite staying in separate parts of the house, and the only way of communicating with each other was in open areas such as the kitchen and garden.

Big Brother India, also renamed 'Bigg Boss' launched in 2006, and its third series will air shortly. One of the participants in Series Two was Jane Goody, who had been accused of racism on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, when she referred to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty - who hosted the second series in India - as "Shilpa Poppadom". UK media regulator Ofcom received more than 50,000 complaints and Gordon Brown, who was then Chancellor, was forced to defend Britain as a "country of fairness and tolerance".

After she was evicted, Ms Goody visited India, where her effigy had been burnt during the race row. She denied she was racist but admitted she was "embarrassed and disgusted" by her behaviour. Her appearance on the Indian version of the show was brief, as on the second day she left the show after receiving news that she had cervical cancer, of which she subsequently died in the UK.

BB dropped in UK
British broadcaster Channel 4 will be dropping the UK version of Big Brother from its schedules after the 11th series has been broadcast in summer 2010. The decision comes after viewing figures showed a drop from around 8 million in its heyday, to an average of 2 million. At its peak Big Brother generated 68 million pounds of profit for the channel.

Photos: Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty from Wikipedia