EU Referendum - The Great Debate

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EU Referendum - The Great Debate

June 21, 2016 - 22:52
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As the big day draws nearer, the BBC decided to pull out all the stops for its big debate on the EU Referendum by going all big, bold and brash.

Boris Johnson and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson

By lostinbluejazz

As the big day draws nearer, the BBC decided to pull out all the stops for its big debate on the EU Referendum by going all big, bold and brash.

It opened its programme with content that would have been more in keeping with an episode of Britain's Got Talent: a flyover of London, a queue of people outside Wembley Arena, and the occasional glimpse of one of the main players in the debate (except these guys were hopping off a bus rather than stepping out of a limousine). All of this over a booming soundtrack that tried so hard to build the event up as must see telly. It felt a bit like a mini-Election Night, with David Dimbleby the host, Michal Hussain talking to a panel of specially-selected people, and Emily Maitliss in the "spin-room" trying to make sense of it all.

But for all its attempts to be a grand spectacle, it simply had the effect of making this viewer feel even more lost and hopeless. The hype which surrounded its opening credits didn't live up to the reality of the strained and all-too familiar arguments of the Remain and Leave camps. The location simply felt far too big for the nature of the debate, losing any sense of atmosphere and achieving only the amplification of Boris Johnson's already loud buffoonish voice.

Personally, the only positive thing to take from this two-hour droning contest was the excellent infographics which accompanied each section of the debate. These seemed to provide more coherent and digestible information in two-minute mini-segments than the 15-20 minutes that proceeded from the mouths of those on stage.

It may not have done anything to sway floating voters either way, but it did provide a strong case for the BBC to leave these big locations alone for future debates. Sometimes, smaller is better.

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From the confines of a house to the open wilderness of the Scottish Highlands, Channel 4's new reality show Eden appears, after its debut episode at least, to be taking Big Brother outdoors.

Twenty three volunteers have been chosen to spend 365 days at a remote site, being given only basic rations and limited supplies in order to build and sustain a community for one whole year. And judging by this first episode, edited over a three-week period, it will be surprising if they don't turn to murder or cannibalism before 2016 is out.

It is always intriguing watching these shows, no matter how repetitive things get. Very quickly, team dynamics develop out of individual's personalities and it isn't long before relationships begin to be made and broken; people either grow closer or cunningly seek to tear certain individuals apart.

In this first episode, it was Rowing Instructor Anton who appeared to bear the brunt of people's frustrations. In a sense, you could see why: his brash and outspoken personality certainly makes him a prime target. But there were also some wise words from the experienced adventurer towards camp location. Despite his knowledge however, group discussion seemed to go against him, forcing him to take things into his own hands, with potentially damning consequences socially as time goes on.

If these conflicts sound familiar, it is worth saying that Eden doesn't really offer anything new. If anything, it harks back to the early days of reality television. Back in 2000, the BBC broadcast a programme called Castaway, which has many similarities to its 2016 counterpart. Perhaps this is one of its purposes: to return to those halcyon days before reality TV was taken over by instant personalities and egocentric seekers of the celebrity lifestyle.

The characters taking part in Eden certainly seem ordinary enough. Their reasons for taking part include a hankering for the simple life, an escape from the media horror stories, and a chance to escape the expectations and trappings of contemporary culture. There is nothing glitzy about that. Despite its tried-and-tested formula, this is perhaps what makes Eden unique among the other reality shows of the time. Whether this is enough to make it a success is another matter.