Looking back, most first weeks pack the drama in early. In fact, pretty much every year, the first week is one of the most exciting with at least one rivalry to stir interest and the producers struggling to cut the material. Just off the top of my head,

BB2 Penny vs Stuart
BB3 Lynne vs Spencer
BB5 Kitten vs Everyone
BB6 Saskia vs Mary
BB7 Shahbaz vs the Universe
BB8 Charley vs Chanelle
BB9 Alexandra vs Everyone
BB10 Sophia vs Sapphia
BB11 the Beyonce one vs John James
BB12 Aaron vs Rebeckah
BB14 Sally vs Gina
BB15, Pauline vs Jale

If they're struggling to find interesting dynamics amongst the housemates now, then in 3/4 weeks this show will be right up shitcreek. Vapid assortment of housemates.

Is this the slowest first week we've ever had?

There's more to BB than watching people arguing or fighting surely ?

I think I've enjoyed the first week of nearly every series - I like it when it's fresh and new, before the cracks start to show, before all the battlelines are drawn (in the house and on the forum).

The worst opening weeks for me have been BB8 and BB15. The all girl start was deadly dull, although the series actually managed to do the impossible and get even worse when the men went in. BB15 had a poor start as I didn't really take to any of the HMs, or even find any of them intriguing.

this has been the worst start ever. i would be amazed if it does not end up being the worst rated series ever.

I think you mean worse?

Easily, all of the first weeks on Channel 5's BB has been worse than this series.

What has happened to BB fans ? it never used to be all about the arguing.

I've learnt that the first week is hardly ever a good representation of what the rest of the series will be like. Two of my fave series (BB5 and BB7) had relatively poor first weeks in my opinion. BB5 desperately needed Kitten to leave so the others could get on with it and BB7 was uncomfortable and not enjoyable to watch.

This lack of drama could be a good thing though - in most of the C5 series the first few weeks have been dramatic but then all the potential drama has happened and as a result the series becomes stale, at least with this there's more chance for things to develop as the series goes on.

As a lot of people have said, this year is slightly more akin to early years BB. They haven't filled the place up with volatile characters at all, so if there's to be any fire-works then it'll take a while for them to come (though I'm in little doubt they ARE coming)... And to be honest I quite like a nice slow build...

...interestingly though I think things would have played out differently if 'SHOWBIZ!!' had stayed - he seems the type to always be 'on' and I think he would have started winding them all up after a day or so.

It's got a different vibe this year.

I've loved this first week. Feels like BB of old. I'm getting to know all the characters. Find out their good and bad points. Big Brother used to be more focused on who was your fave as opposed to who do you hate the most, but I've found it difficult to have a fave as they never show any of the fun moments, or the just having a chat moments

Really enjoying it and think it will mean we are more invested in the characters and I genuinely feel like I'm getting a good representation of people's personalities

i reckon this is spot on what the producers wanted, remember the producer ia from the old C4 Phil Edgar Jones days.

Maybe after last summer and what happened in January, they wanted a easy series, not a series that would end up on page 1, of the Tabloids. Saying there has been violence, somebdys been kicked out/

I think this series shows promise. Not a terribly exciting first week but it has been interesting watching the characters develop without too much tension.

Last year was horrendous right from the off - I was mentally exhausted by the end.

I don't necessarily blame the housemates for anything, after all what we see is based on what BB choose to put in the edits. Because for all we know they could possibly produce a very good show based on what they don't show in the HL show.

I'm just bored with the lack of imagination or desire by BB to do anything which feels fresh or genuinely interesting. It's just the tired old routine of the same things.

I have no desire for BB to try to orchestrate conflict, far from it. it just wouldn't feel natural so there'd be no point for me. I just want to see a show which doesn't rely on old ideas, which is what we always seem to get. It feels very by the numbers and going by the same old templates.
The housemates themselves are probably not to blame for anything.

Well for my tuppence worth, after the duvet hogging couple JJ&Joseeeee, I stopped watching for two years. Came back for the Dexter/Gina show.....horrendous
Last year was simply VILE....(yes using the most overused word on the BB forum) Helen Wood....wtf

This year is a refreshing change...I'm really liking it...thus far

Totally agree.

If there was one it would have to be worst.

People here have very short memories (or else there's a lot of new people). During BB4 this forum absolutely hated the first week. The moment it was announced on the first night that Anouska was up for eviction, the forum was absolutely full of negativity. The first week of BB6 everyone here hated the housemates...it might be a favourite series now, but during the first week this forum couldn't stand it. BB8 was probably the worst start to a series...it was all over the place and out of every series, BB8's first week is the one that got the most negative response on here. BB10's first week was unpopular here too. It's funny how people forget! This years series isn't the best first week, but it's definitely not the worst either. If there were arguments and fights everyone would be saying it was too much.

At least there was someone to care about.

BB4, BB8, and BB10 had horrible first weeks. This one isn't so bad.

Nick seems very popular on here so there's obviously someone that people care about this year too. It's only just started, give it a chance...why does every series have to bulldoze into all the action straight away? Why should we know the housemates inside out from day one? The forum has been banging on for years about wanting more "normal" housemates and this years are relatively "normal" compared to other years. If they fill the house with freaks people moan that they want "normal" people and if they fill it with anyone who verges on "normal" then the show is deemed boring. Your average Joe doesn't audition for BB. I've gone through the audition process before myself a few years ago and not many people apply, and those that do aren't "normal". No ordinary sane person would ever go on BB. The show is seen as a joke now, and that's not because of all the changes over the years...it's simply because it's been on the air for 16 years and it's a tired format. There's certain things of course they could do to improve it, but ultimately it's just s format and a show people are bored with.

OK, there don't have to be arguments but this lot seem very aware of the cameras. They know they're not very entertaining so seem reduced to fake conversations and sword fighting with wooden spoons in the kitchen.

BB8 was probably the worst first week due to the all female start

Obviously BB4 never even got started - so even if it were just an empty house for an hour a day, it's never going to be as bad as BB4 ..

Personally I like this first week because I like Aaron and Sarah as characters .. But it is low on drama - and they'd be wasted on a dull house ..

I think it's been a mistake to have such a young house .. They're at that awkward age when they don't know who they are and aren't going to put much of themselves out there .. It's always worked better to have a range of ages

BB8's was brilliant! "Calm down, Lesley, have a strawberry"

BB10's was dreadful - everyone was miserable and the whole twist just resulted in a perfectly nice if dull person getting humiliated for no reason.
BB12's was possibly the worst because of how crappy the editing was, with the reliance on sex talk and nudity (of the guys, bizarrely).

It's actually a reasonably diverse House this year in terms of age. They have one Housemate in her fifties, one in his forties (who has been evicted), one in his thirties, eleven in their twenties (if you're counting the twins as two people) and two in their teens. The majority are in their twenties, but it's a real mix between early and late twenties. If you compare it to BB12, for example, this year has much more of an age mix.