Why Do We Love Reality Television?

Some of us love to watch television shows featuring people who think they can sing but can’t. Others like to watch celebrities trying to dance when they have two left feet. Still more sat and watched years ago when everyday people were trying – and mostly failing – to pass their driving test.

It doesn’t matter what the subject of each show is about, they all have one thing in common. They all deal in reality.

There are no characters here to love or hate – not in the usual sense anyway. There are no plots, and there isn’t generally a script either. In the world of reality television things can be pre-recorded or they can be live. In either case we get to see what happened in real life, and not what a scriptwriter thought should happen.

This is one of the main reasons why reality television programmes are so well loved. They can make us cringe, but they can also inspire us in lots of different ways.

Who hasn’t dreamed of being a pop star or movie star? Who hasn’t thought about what it would be like to be plucked from our everyday lives and put on the West End stage or suddenly made famous in some way?

It may not happen to us, but these programmes make it possible to watch other people living that very same experience. Regardless of whether they are trying to dance, cook, sing or anything else, we love them for the fact that they are trying.

Of course these shows also open the door to potential new careers for some people. Reality television shows see everyday people winning the big prize at the end of the series. We think that if it could happen to one person, it could well happen to us too. As such a reality programme can open the door on our own potential. We may not get out there on television for the whole country to see us, but it can still have an effect.

Even the celebrity populated shows are exciting because they allow us to see those celebrities in a different light. Taken out of their usual career or role and put into a different situation, we get to see how they cope with it. Many celebrities have seen their careers become even more successful after a stint on a reality TV show. Of course many formerly obscure people have become famous after taking part as well.

Whether you watch these shows on the BBC, Sky Television or any other channel, one thing is certain - their popular virtually guarantees they will be around for a long time to come yet. The only question is how many more changes the format will go through before we run out of ideas.