Controversy and Criticism
On Day 35, Nick was asked to leave the show after being exposed trying to manipulate fellow housemates' votes in the weekly eviction process. His ejection from the house was the result of numerous warnings from Big Brother about discussing the nomination process, in which they told him numerous times in the Diary Room that talking about the nomination process could lead to his ejection from the game. Ultimately, he chose not to listen. He was discovered after housemate Tom accidentally told Craig that Nick had nominated him that week. Following this statement, the other housemates found pen and paper in his belongings which he used to write the names of certain housemates on. Ironically he was one of the most popular housemates in the house at the time, though his behaviour led to a strong dislike for him outside of the house. Such was the media interest in this first series of the show, the news that Nick had been thrown out featured on the front page of every national newspaper in the UK, apart from the Financial Times, which had the story on page 3. To better explain the situation and effects his ejection had on the game, a special entitled the "Nasty Nick Scandal" was aired by Channel 4.
During the eighth week in the house, Melanie was nominated for eviction against Craig and Darren. Following this announcement, a rogue email was sent out to random email addresses promising a holiday to anyone who dialled the listed number. The number, however, was actually the hotline to evict Melanie from the house. Despite outcry, the email did not have much effect on the voting, as Melanie was evicted with 69% of the public vote. Out of the 3.3 million voters that week, 2.2 million of the votes cast were against her. Darren received 580,000 and Craig received only 424,000. Even more controversy occurred throughout the season. A recurring theme each week during the series was that a set of psychiatrists would analyse the behaviour of the housemates each week, and provide commentary on their interaction with one another, as well as their ability to cope with life inside of the Big Brother House. This feature, however, caused controversy when it was reported that two university professors, Peter Collett and Geoffrey Beattie, were guilty of professional misconduct by involving themselves with the Channel 4 production. Both Collett and Beattie were criticised for their appearance on the show. Dr. David Miller, research director at Stirling University, stated "What's more, the participants are themselves being placed under enormous stress that could lead to long-term difficulties. These two professors are lending credibility toa crass and exploitative gimmick."
Read more about this topic: Big Brother 1 (UK)
Famous quotes containing the words controversy and/or criticism:
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widest horizons.”
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867)