Big Bother Last Week, a Reality Tv Show Dominated the International Political Agenda. How Did That Happen . . . And What Have We Learned? By Rachelle Money

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IT was meant to be the ultimate social experiment when, in 2000, production company Endemol launched the first Big Brother series on Channel 4. With cameras installed in every room and contestants wearing microphones 24 hours a day, viewers were permitted no-holds barred access to those in the house including witnessing their most intimate moments. However, the intense debate sparked by Jade Goody's apparent racist bullying of fellow contestant Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty during the celebrity version of the show and her eviction on Friday night has cast a dark shadow over the future of the reality series. There have also been embarrassing diplomatic repercussions, with chancellor Gordon Brown, who was visiting India last week, forced to condemn the treatment meted out to Shetty.

Speculation has been mounting this weekend over how much Goody was told after presenter Davina McCall announced her eviction to a viewing audience of over eight million.

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Big Bother Last Week, a Reality Tv Show Dominated the International Political Agenda. How Did That Happen . . . And What Have We Learned? By Rachelle Money

As she said her goodbyes to fellow contestants, Goody said of her departure: "I know why." The penny dropped when the 25-yearold mother of two was taken into the diary room where she was informed: "It has come to Big Brother's attention that over the past few days you have made remarks which might have been considered offensive about fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty." She was then read back parts of a conversation she had when trying to guess what Shetty's surname...

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