Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV

BBC Radio 4
  • 4.8 (28)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV

The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves? Since its conception, reality TV has divided its viewers. Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV is a 10-part audio documentary written and presented by journalists Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale. They've been fans of reality TV since they first watched Big Brother as pre-teens and they've spent a fair amount of time defending reality TV when people are snobby about it, or dismiss its importance in our wider culture. But they've also been troubled by what they've seen in the genre: the exploitation; the lack of aftercare; the impacts of sudden fame. Using interviews with the creators, producers and stars of some of the most iconic reality shows of the last two decades, and leading cultural critics of today, Unreal explores how reality TV has shaped entertainment, fashion, beauty, celebrity and even politics - and some of the ethical issues raised by the format. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen

Episodes

  1. 05/18/2022

    10. A Format In Crisis & The Future of Reality TV: Love Island, Part 2

    Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes look at how one of TV’s most popular shows became mired in tragedy and controversy. Where did it all go wrong? And is this the end for reality TV? Featuring interviews with Megan Barton-Hanson, Dr Alex George, Jake Cornish, Rachel Finni and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The Victoria Derbyshire Show, BBC Love Island, ITV Studios/Lifted Entertainment/Motion Content Group This Morning, Granada Television Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death, Curious Films 1Xtra Talks with Richie Brave, BBC Sophie Gradon On Internet Trolls, Radio Aire Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee meeting 14 September 2021, Parliamentary Recording Unit The Great British Bake Off, Love Productions The Voice, Wall to Wall Big Brother, Endemol UK

    53 min

  2. 05/17/2022

    9. The Influencer Sausage Factory: Love Island, Part 1

    Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale analyse how Love Island became a finishing school for influencers and a commercial juggernaut through its association with fast fashion. Featuring interviews with Megan Barton-Hanson, Dr Alex George, and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: Love Island, ITV Studios/Lifted Entertainment/Motion Content Group Sausages, Adam Buxton Trying on Love Island x I Saw it First outfits… is it worth the money!?, Roxxsaurus Ethical Fashion, Brett Staniland The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, Steven Bartlett Let’s Talk Business: Meet My Manager (Finally), Molly Mae Hague Blindboy Undestroys the World, Rumpus Media for BBC 3 Olivia Attwood video on influencers flying to Dubai for work

    46 min

  3. 05/17/2022

    8. Lifestyles of The Mega-Rich: The Real Housewives & Selling Sunset

    Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes slip into the moneyed world of the Californian 0.01% with the help of a Real Housewife and a Selling Sunset realtor, to examine property porn, toxic wealth, and why audiences want schadenfreude. Featuring interviews with Real Housewife's Taylor Armstrong, Selling Sunset's Mary Fitzgerald, plus the show creators and more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Evolution Media Dallas, Lorimar Productions Desperate Housewives, Cherry Productions Selling Sunset, Done and Done Productions ABC News, ABC

    53 min

  4. 05/17/2022

    7. The British Docusoap: The Only Way Is Essex & Made In Chelsea

    Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale look at how these BAFTA-winning reality shows became national treasures and explore why the ingredients for a good reality show are the same, wherever they are set. Featuring interviews with Spencer Matthews, Georgia Toffolo, James Lock, plus many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The British Academy Television Awards: 2011, Whizz Kid Entertainment The Only Way is Essex, Lime Pictures Made in Chelsea, Monkey Kingdom Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Hot Sauce The Reality of Reality TV with Fleur East, Bauer Media What We Don't Post, Nicola Hughes and Tiffany Watson I’ve Been There: Amy Childs and Cosmetic Surgery, Nine Lives Media

    51 min

  5. 05/17/2022

    6. Climbing The Ladder: Keeping Up With The Kardashians

    Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes delve into the story of America’s First Family, the Kardashian-Jenners, and how they leveraged reality tv to redefine beauty ideals and create an entirely new category of uber-celebrity. Featuring interviews with Keeping Up With The Kardashian's executive producer for all 20 seasons, plus @NorisBlackBook creator, and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Bunim-Murray Productions Oprah's Next Chapter, Harpo Studios X17onlineVideo's video of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian with paparazzi Kim Kardashian’s Business Advice, Variety

    51 min

  6. 05/17/2022

    5. The Birth of Scripted Reality: Laguna Beach & The Hills

    Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale tread a nostalgic path back to their teenage years and The Hills, which birthed reality’s first wave of lifestyle influencers. Featuring interviews with Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The OC, Wonderland Sound and Vision Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Go Go Luckey Productions The Hills, Done and Done Productions Nightline, ABC News Productions Velvet’s Edge with Kelly Henderson, Nashville Podcast Network

    50 min

  7. 05/17/2022

    4. The Makeover Era: The Swan and What Not To Wear

    Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes explore how the rise in cosmetic surgery collided with reality TV, and laid the foundations for our current preoccupation with self-improvement. Featuring interviews with The Swan's show creator and contestant, and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The Swan, Galan Entertainment What Not to Wear, BBC Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Hot Sauce Parkinson, BBC

    54 min

  8. 05/17/2022

    3. The Wild West Years: There’s Something About Miriam and Who’s Your Daddy

    Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale deep-dive into some of reality TV’s most controversial shows in the early 2000s, exploring how the explosion in the genre caused ethics to fly out of the window. Featuring interviews with There's Something About Miriam's show creator and winning contestant, and many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: There’s Something About Miriam, Brighter Pictures The Farm, Endemol UK Shattered, Endemol UK Who’s Your Daddy, 10 by 10 Entertainment Harsh Reality: The Story of Miriam Rivera, Wondery Big Brother, Endemol UK Have I Got News For You, Hat Trick Productions

    45 min

  9. 05/17/2022

    2. The Talent Show Boom: Pop Idol and The X Factor

    Sirin Kale and Pandora Sykes look at how three men called Simon are responsible for the gold rush of talent shows in the early noughties and why the format no longer feels fit for purpose. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: The X Factor, Fremantle Media Britain’s Got Talent, Talkback Thames Star Search, 2929 Productions Popstars, Warner Bros. Television Pop Idol, 19 Television A Better Me: The Official Autobiography, Bolinda Publishing Misha B video discussing her experiences on and after The X Factor Cher Lloyd’s video on her X Factor experience Walk The Line, Syco Entertainment

    50 min

  10. 05/17/2022

    1. The Social Experiment: Big Brother Is Watching You

    Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale wind back to Britain's first ‘official’ reality show, to look at how it became a global phenomenon, the importance of authenticity, and how Jade Goody created a new type of celebrity - famous for simply being herself. Featuring interviews with housemates Nick Bateman aka 'Nasty Nick' and Brian Dowling, and Big Brother's Creative Director Philip Edgar Jones, plus many more. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: Big Brother, Endemol UK Candid Microphone, Colombia Pictures Candid Camera, ABC Television The Family, BBC The Late Review, BBC The Reunion, Whistledown Jade: The Reality Star Who Changed Britain, Blast! Films Stars in Their Eyes, Granada Television Celebrity Big Brother, Endemol UK Prime Ministers Questions, Parliamentary Recording Unit Bigg Boss, Endemol Shine India

    57 min

  11. 05/10/2022

    Introducing Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV

    The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves? Since its conception, reality TV has divided its viewers. Introducing Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV, a new 10-part audio documentary written and presented by journalists Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale. They've been fans of reality TV since they first watched Big Brother as pre-teens and they've spent a fair amount of time defending reality tv when people are snobby about it, or dismiss its importance in our wider culture. But they’ve also been troubled by what they've seen in the genre: the exploitation; the lack of aftercare; the impacts of sudden fame. Using interviews with the creators, producers and stars of some of the most iconic reality shows of the last two decades, and leading cultural critics of today, Unreal explores how reality TV has shaped entertainment, fashion, beauty, celebrity and even politics - and some of the ethical questions raised by the format. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen Archive credits: Love Island, ITV Studios Big Brother, Endemol UK The Only Way is Essex, Lime Pictures The Late Review, BBC The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Evolution Media

    5 min
  • 11 Episodes

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves? Since its conception, reality TV has divided its viewers. Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV is a 10-part audio documentary written and presented by journalists Pandora Sykes and Sirin Kale. They've been fans of reality TV since they first watched Big Brother as pre-teens and they've spent a fair amount of time defending reality TV when people are snobby about it, or dismiss its importance in our wider culture. But they've also been troubled by what they've seen in the genre: the exploitation; the lack of aftercare; the impacts of sudden fame. Using interviews with the creators, producers and stars of some of the most iconic reality shows of the last two decades, and leading cultural critics of today, Unreal explores how reality TV has shaped entertainment, fashion, beauty, celebrity and even politics - and some of the ethical issues raised by the format. Producer: Hannah Hufford Executive Producer: Pandora Sykes Executive Editor: James Cook Content Producer: Hannah Robins Technical Producer: Giles Aspen

Information

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