Evangelicals Now
<< December 2006 >>

Monthly arts column

Judgement TV

At the National Television Awards shown at the end of October, Nikki from this year’s Big Brother was voted ‘best TV contender’.

Known for her tantrums and dislike of air-con, Nikki was the popular favourite over others including Carol Thatcher (for her part in I’m a Celebrity Get me out of Here!). Her ‘favourite books’ list includes The Sport, The Sun, The Star and The Complete Guide to Finding Mr. Right. Having being voted out of Big Brother by the public, put back in (also voted for by the public), she eventually came fifth as a result of votes cast by the public.

Really real

Mass public acceptance, rejecting and judging of a much publicised individual or contestantâ has become a major staple of ‘event’ TV. The focus of the TV watching nation is for a few days entirely concerned with the attributes and failings of a chosen member of the public as they are discussed in the pub, at the water cooler and over the skinny latte. Everyone is invited to cast their vote, to make a judgement call, to comment on what they think of an individual. Are they not very bright (as I implied of Nikki back there)? Or not very attractive? Are they not very thoughtful, or generous, or mature, or are they just not ‘real’ enough? The most derogatory things that can be said of a contestant are that they are ‘too fake’ or ‘plastic’ or that they are too proud and self-confident. We want our reality TV to be really real. When our most ‘real’ and down-to-earth contestant, Chantelle, was planted as a fake celebrity on Celebrity Big Brother, she proved her reality by becoming a celebrity afterwards anyway! The winner of BBC’s Maria, Connie, was praised widely because she was energetic and ‘believable’, lighting up the stage with her vivacious and polished performances while others looked too much as if they were going through the motions. Ironically, some of the criticism that she did get was for making a judgement herself about Helena, one of the other contestants.

Controversy is good TV

Simon Cowell, for all his unpopularity, is speaking the truth as he knows it as a member of a judging panel. It seems to be ‘okay’ to judge if you are unknown to the people you are judging but it is a social sin to judge someone if everyone can see it. So dialling a number or sending a text anonymously is applauded but criticising someone face to face as a Big Brother contestant or a judge on Maria, X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing is extremely contentious. Unfortunately, good TV is made up of controversy and names and fames are made through it too. So I’m betting that ITV loves the fact that Strictly Come Dancing has become very heated up this season because the contestants condemn the judging as unfair and inconsistent. I’m also thinking that all the lovely things that were said about the ‘wonderful, talented performers’ on Maria were only permitted if we had the judges ladle on the spice of criticism as well.

Judge’s bench

So who really are the judges of judgement TV? Is it the public as they vote? Or the judges on the panel as they speak directly to the contestants? Or the media critics as they write and speak about them in the media in order to influence voting? Or the programme makers as they set the tasks, provide the lighting, the camera angles and edit highlights? Whose judgement really counts anyway? To the grinning, pleading contestants on X Factor and Maria as they are given a chance to ‘talk to their fans’, it is obviously the votes of the public as they are the perceived path to fulfil hopes and dreams. Yet there is something deeply wrong in the desire of an individual to gain the praise of all mankind. We see it is wrong when these individuals receive not praise but condemnation.

Having put their lives on hold for the sake of the show, often leaving jobs and home situations to conform to the requirements of the programmers, they return empty handed, needing to rebuild not only their reputation but often close precious relationships which they have deserted in the pursuit of fame. And what of those that win? They receive their prize of money, chat-show appearances or jobs in the spotlight and then what?

They too face disillusionment and more false, fake ‘plastic’ relationships and situations than they could ever imagine could come out of ‘reality TV’.

How to criticise others?

Christians are always anxious to avoid appearing ‘judgemental’ and so discussions about these programmes that we have with friends and colleagues are ideal opportunities to show that our lives are run along God’s good guidelines when it comes to criticising others and receiving criticism. It is also good to remember that we aim to glorify God in everything rather than wanting to pull others down to build ourselves up. The Bible tells us that the worth of every member of mankind will in fact be judged, not by telephone voting, but by the creator and sustainer of the world. It is to him that we must look for our value and worth. When we see the reality of Jesus’s death and resurrection and all that it means, we see that the major judgement event of history has already happened. Jesus has taken the judgement that was meant for us and has enabled us to look forward to an eternity without judgement. Now I’ll vote for that!

Eleanor Margesson