I get the belt part, that was alarming, and a bit.... odd.

But everything else, is it really that much worse/sexual than those three series?

Ride the Bus
HMs running around stark naked
Naked Mud Wrestling
Naked Jacuzzinesss
HMs sucking on boobs weekly
HMs shoving bottles up their fannies
HMs having sex in the pool and hearing the moans and groans
Naked body painting (BB1)

So, is this series just too shocking or have people become a bunch of moaners (judging by OFCOM complaints on 5 compared to 4 bar Race Row, yes, massive moaners).

You forgot Chicken Stu and Steven 'open it' Goode

The belt thing was a clear and present bid for camera time and worked.

People just moan more these days. I remember how we all laughed and rolled our eyes at the hysterical American reaction to Janet Jackson nipplegate. I guarantee you if something similar happened at a performance over here now, people would be hassling Ofcom and people would be made to give grovelling apologies.

Well, slating BB has become the norm on here and why I can agree with some of the negative comments (Lack of LIVE feed/updates, putting reality TV stars in the civilian version), it can be tiresome.

Big Brother has been like this for years. It was far from innocent on Channel 4, but because the show is broadcast on 5 (Yes, I agree they do have their faults), the tiniest little thing that goes wrong will result in about 10 threads saying RIP Big Brother/Stopped watching and so on.

I take the show for what it is these days and I know it's car crash TV, but then again I always think it has been and expect no more from the show. Like you say, BB5/BB6 had confrontation and nudity everywhere, and they are considered two of the best series. I'm definitely getting 5/6 vibes this series. The cast are great and I am enjoying it. The opening week has been one of the strongest ever. Ratings aren't doing too badly aswell.

People who complain to Ofcom are silly in my opinion. You are warned fully what you are about to be shown before the programme airs. Switch over if you don't like that kind of stuff, simple as.

For me, it's not the fact that it was broadcast, it's the fact BB didn't intervene. I'm fine with it being shown - it's past the watershed, we've been given a warning and that's all we need in my eyes. However, the producers have a duty of care to these participants. One or both of them could have been seriously injured, even if that was quite a remote possibility. Just as they are told to get down if they climb on the roof as it's unsafe, they shouldn't be allowed to strangle one another. It's a hazard.

I got far angrier and actually complained to Ofcom (my one and only time!) for the hideous way the indoors skanks treated Deana in BB13.

I think the fact this series seems more contrived is why people are more annoyed by certain antics. In reality, bar the belt, nothing too shocking has occured yet.

Ironically, housemates in BB USA get away with a lot more than ours do. A couple of years ago there was a racism and homophobia controversy: "Careful what you say in the dark, you might not be able to see the bitch", "[about an Asian woman] Shut up, go make some rice", talking about how the black and white fish in the tank have "segregated" themselves, "Nobody is going to vote for whoever that queer puts up", "[to someone wearing a frog costume] You look like Kermit the f**" and use of the N word. There were also jokes about child pornography that year. The producer's response? To put up a warning that the broadcaster doesn't condone what the housemates are saying before each episode and a frosty eviction interview from the host. No removals, not even any warnings.

The only time BB USA housemates have been removed have been for physical violence, damage to property of the show and once when a guy put a knife to a woman's throat and asked "would you be mad if I killed you?". They have plastic knives now.

Yes, that's how I think it should be actually. By all means get involved if there is some kind of physical violence or threat of harm going on (which ironically, judging from the strangulation thing, is the one time BB doesn't get involved) but with racism you shouldn't need to, provided there is a disclaimer of warning. If they sort out the nominations, anyone who behaves like that will get evicted very quickly anyway, and serve them right.

Having said that, I do realise how it must be quite difficult for the producers, especially with what happened with Jade and Shilpa. They were very heavily criticised for not doing enough in that situation and that informs how strict they are about it now, so I understand it's not as simple as 'Let's do this'.

In the old days it just seemed more fun and all done in a joking way usually as part of a game it didn't seem smutty but in later years it doesn't seem the same hard to explain but it feels more smutty and not enjoyable anymore more cringworthy than fun. We never seem to get to laugh anymore.

Never liked it then either always turned off when and nudity ect came on

Never seemed smutty?

People are saying this through c4 rose tinted glasses because it was ALWAYS smutty.

At least Stu and Michelle Bass did their sweet love making under a table and fully covered.

About the only time she was covered she must have spent most of that year naked or at least topless a major reason I didn't watch much that year.

What about Shell and her naked lawnmowering? And 'follow the van' from BB3? (or was that the ride the bus reference?). And I think Craig from BB1 used to run around naked quite a bit. Also the last night in BB3 when everyone was naked in the shower?

Anyway, yeah BB has always been full of 'sexual content' as it's coyly called now. If anything to me, as an old school BB viewer, this year seems more like the earlier ones in that respect.

I think that we hear more complaints because of.... well, the internet has given more and more of us the chance to air those complaints/views. Also possibly sensibilities are slightly more ....not more prudish but perhaps more careful for various reasons in a way than they used to be.

I'm not sure what some of those even are.

Ride the Bus? (Follow the van?)
HMs sucking on boobs weekly?
HMs (plural) with bodies?

I also don't know what prompted this thread. Has there been something that shows people are more bothered by this series than they were about ones in the past?

I do think there is a larger post shilpa generation of bb fans who like everything safe and sanitised and will be professionally offended by anything other than safe

Ride the Bus is something some uni lot play and is similar to Follow the Van.

BB5 with Beckie/Nadia/Michelle sucking each others hippies etc.

Hms body painting naked.

What prompted this thread? Isn't it obvious? People state it's smutty but it always happens.

So that's why I started it

There have been jaw dropping moments in most series. I think for most of us they have been accepted as part and parcel of some broader narrative. The scenes have usually come from somewhere or something and have punctuated a series of 10 - 13 weeks here and there.

This series isn't even a week old. Some may say they have peeked a tad early. What will they do to grab attention by week 8?

What's "Ride the bus" have to do with BB then?


Weekly, though? I don't think so.


Sorry, I meant HMs (plural) with bottles?


No, it's not obvious. That's why I ask.


I still don't get it. Where was that being stated by enough people to call for a thread?

Sorry. Next time I want to start a thread, I'll remember to ask your permission.

I assume you want everyone to do the same.

How you feel my thread is uncalled for over other threads is baffling. I can start whatever thread I want. If the 'slut' thread is allowed then I'm pretty sure this thread is.

A lot of those happened before most people had the internet so we don't really know how forums like this would have reacted.

I did have the internet though and know at the time there were complaints then to just not as many though as I said the internet didn't have a quater as many people posting.

Exactly this. It reminds me of the pre BB8 era.

The C5 civilian series has generally been very nude free bar Harry Amelia last year

For me the difference is (well, as I recall it, I may be wrong) that, yeah, we had nudity, smut and fumbles in early series but it didn't monopolise the show the way it seems to now.

Coverage was more balanced - we gradually got to see a bit of everyone. We got to know the HMs and there was something for everyone - bit of bitching, flirting, silly moments and some mundane, tame dialogue that gave an insight into the HMs nature.

It felt more natural and you really were getting a round up of the day's events but now it feels like we're seeing very little of the whole picture and just have the chosen contrived story lines shoved down our throats. Anyone not a part of that storyline we just don't see.

It's ok in small doses but too much is boring for a lot of us I think. Really hope this doesn't become the Marco and Laura show.

I miss the inconsequential chats and real friendships forming but that's not what BB is now.

What's that supposed to be about? I haven't said or implied that you shouldn't start it. I'm just trying to understand what the thread's about.


Well, yes, I do want people to write things that make sense and that don't presuppose too much that someone reading the thread might not know about or might not be able to identify based on what's in the thread.

But one way to do that would be to answer when someone asks about it, rather than going all sarcastic.

And of course no one has to explain anything.


So it's the mere phrase "call for" that's the big issue? I don't see that as the same as saying the thread is "uncalled for". I just want to know what it's about. You seem to think it's "obvious". It certainly isn't to me, and you don't seem to be explaining it either.