MM From Props to Products

The Changing Nature of Audience Participation in Mainstream Entertainment Programming

Have you ever been a member of a Media audiences of the past are often 1967-1975). As with many quiz and game shows characterised as being passive recipients of of the time, members of the public took part as studio audience, for the recording of a the information and entertainment that was competitors. The true stars of these shows were, radio sketch show, a TV sitcom, Strictly handed down by media institutions. In our however, the presenters. Bob Monkhouse was modern media world, audiences are thought the first presenter of The Golden Shot and was or Buzzcocks? Once upon a time, you to be much more active and media institutions massively popular with contemporary audiences. might have thought that would be actively encourage audience participation. To The original host of BBC’s long-running Saturday the closest you’d get to involvement; some this is an indication of a new, democratised tea-time audience participation show, The state where the power traditionally held by Generation Game (BBC: 1971-2007) was Bruce but in fact audience participation has media institutions is being shared with audiences Forsyth (1971-1977 and 1990-1994), who long been a feature of ‘old media’ who are able to participate in the construction is astonishingly still a household name, as he and development of media texts. currently presents Strictly Come Dancing (BBC: entertainment programming. Steph This view, however, can hide the fact that 2004 onwards). Hendry considers the role of the audience participation is not a new idea. From Both Monkhouse and Forsyth had a the earliest days of television broadcasting (and background in Variety theatre and light audience in TV past and present. even earlier), audience participation has been entertainment. Both were comedians, and a crucial element of mainstream entertainment Forsyth was well known as a song and dance programming. Yet even though it is not a new man whilst Monkhouse had had some success phenomenon, it is clear that the role of the as a film actor. They both had a range of talents; audience and the way they participate has but what made them popular in their primetime changed over the years. shows was their ability to put members of the public at ease and, when necessary, encourage The Audience as ‘Props’ entertaining performances from them. However, Traditional forms such as quiz shows, vox pops the presenters were undoubtedly the stars of in news broadcasting and documentaries which the shows. Although the participation of the follow the normal lives of regular people have audience members was crucial to the success always required audience participation. of both programmes, they were there largely In the 1960s and 70s one of the most popular to allow the presenters to demonstrate their shows on TV was ITV’s The Golden Shot (ATV: wit and to be the foil for jokes and routines.

36 MediaMagazine | February 2012 | english and media centre MM diversion and were put on TV doing their ‘party pieces’ or demonstrating some quirky aspect to their personalities. The presenters of That’s Life could be quite patronising at times when dealing with the public and, as in the game shows of the time, a clear line was drawn between the amateur audience members and the professional presenters and hosts. shows often provide a global insight into funny Whether ‘props’ or ‘curiosities’, the audience pets and YouTube provides a worldwide library members in this show were there simply to be of videos of people falling over. As the number looked at. of available videos is increasing all the time, presumably these shows have enough material The Audience as ‘Content’ to continue broadcasting for many years. More A popular prime time Saturday night show in importantly they will appeal to producers as they the 1980s was Game for a Laugh (LWT: 1981- are exceptionally cheap to produce. 1985) which played extravagant practical jokes on members of the general public. The format of The Audience as ‘Subjects’ this show was based on a U.S. programme called Another popular format in the 1990s was a Candid Camera (which itself was a television development of the documentary format into development from the 1940s radio show Candid the ‘fly on the wall’ series, sometimes called Audience members could participate and take Microphone). ‘docusoap’ due to the integration of soap opera- part in quizzes and games – some even won The joke was watching ordinary people react like narrative conventions within observational prizes; but largely they were there as props for to extreme situations they found themselves ‘documentary’ programmes. Many of these shows the host to work with. in, whilst being secretly filmed. Jeremy Beadle focussed on work environments; amongst the was one of the presenters and he went on to most successful examples of this format are The Audience as ‘Curiosities’ host other massively popular programmes that Driving School (1997) and Airport (1996-2008). Another phenomenally successful programme relied on audience participation, Beadle’s About Both featured break-out characters: Maureen of the 1970s based around audience participation (LWT: 1986-1996) and You’ve Been Framed (ITV: Rees (Driving School), a seemingly hopeless was That’s Life (BBC 1973-1994) presented 1990-1997). Beadle’s About was another hidden- learner driver whose incompetence made great by Esther Rantzen. The programme was a camera/practical joke programme, whilst You’ve TV, and Jeremy Spake from Airport. Jeremy magazine-style blend of songs and humour; but Been Framed was based around home videos was a slightly camp character whose matter-of- its main purpose was to investigate consumer that had been submitted by audience members fact approach to some of the bizarre characters or health and safety issues. The humorous – perhaps an early ‘old media’ precursor of and situations he encountered as part of his job side of the show created ‘celebrities’ of its YouTube. endeared him to the viewers. Jeremy went on to own – most famously a talking dog who could In all these programmes the participating present other light entertainment programmes (apparently) say ‘sausages’ and ‘Esther’ (perhaps audience members provided the content of the and Maureen released a cover of Madness’s pre-empting some of the more successful show. The videos in You’ve Been Framed often ‘Driving in my Car’, and was part of a road safety YouTube memes of recent years...) and an elderly showed people falling over, or pets and children campaign. From audience members participating lady named Annie who was a regular contributor doing odd, funny and cute things. This format is in a TV programme, Maureen and Jeremy went to the programme via a street-based vox pop. still highly successful; YouTube is now another on to become celebrities themselves; they are She would offer an enthusiastic response to source for videos of this type, and the internet early examples of what may now be a common whatever questions the reporters asked her. site has been used to provide content for many expectation. It is now a convention of reality Here the public were presented as a humorous TV clip shows (e.g. Robert’s Web C4: 2010). These television that some participants will find the

english and media centre | February 2012 | MediaMagazine 37 MM

format provides them with the platform to move other companies involved in the infrastructure participation’ programmes. Contestants who were from being an audience member to being a used to allow the participation. In its most successful in the auditions (like The X Factor) were celebrity. successful years Big Brother was sponsored by taken to boot camp (like The X Factor) and each O2, Talk Talk, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin week they have to complete a specific task (like The Audience as ‘Stars’ Mobile. No coincidence that the sponsors were The Apprentice) which usually culminates in having Contemporary Reality TV can be seen as the telecommunications companies who would benefit a photograph taken (like Next Top Model) which genre that heralded in a new era of audience from the volume of phone calls and texts used is then judged by the expert panel before one participation. Big Brother began on Channel 4 in during the voting process. contestant is rejected and sent home (like Next 2000. Not only did the programme ‘star’ audience Top Model). Signed by Katie Price makes it clear members, but audience members were invited The Audience as ‘Product’ the contestants are ‘managed’ in a way that will along once a week to take part in the Friday night A more recent development in the way audience deliberately create conflict. For example, when eviction programme; and the audience also had participation is being used by media producers is placing contestants in teams, past conflicts and some control over the way the programme would in the way participants are being turned into a problems are openly discussed on camera; and develop through its run by phoning in to evict one product that the institution can sell in some way. contestants who recently had a stand-up row were of the contestants (or housemates). Big Brother In Sky Living’s Signed by Katie Price (2011) the paired up to see ‘how well they can work together’. also drew in the participation of another audience audience participate as contestants. ‘Real’ people The show is at least very open about the fact that as the conflicts and relationships, the scandals and auditioned for the opportunity to go through a the participants can expect to be rewarded if they the tantrums became an integral part of summer process where the winner would be signed to Katie show themselves to be marketable. tabloid reporting. August has traditionally been Price’s management company. The winner would known as the ‘silly season’ in news reporting as hard be promoted as a ‘media brand’ and used to sell news stories tend to be less numerous than soft calendars, perfumes etc. Like The X Factor, Signed news or human-interest stories at that time of year. by Katie Price is using the television format to hold Big Brother was a godsend to tabloid newspapers an extended audition. The X Factor winners record as it provided a steady stream of soft news stories, a Christmas single and are offered a recording to which tabloid audiences responded well. Big contract; but instead of the record company A&R Brother is a good example of a modern media text scouts having to go out to find new talent, hopefuls that creates a complex set of power relationships audition and the audience provide valuable between text, audiences and producers. market intelligence each week when they vote for Audience participation also became a way to their favourite contestants. maximise the profits made by the programme, Signed by Katie Price uses a range of not only for the producing institution but also for conventions that have been used by other ‘audience

38 MediaMagazine | February 2012 | english and media centre MM The audience as amateur Audience Participation: Big Brother – Who holds the power? soap-stars Powerful Powerless Another way that the audience has become Institution – Can control who appears by holding Cannot completely control the way a product is when programmes use audience the producers auditions and helps create specific participants behave or the way they members instead of paying professionals. The casts of the show representations of characters by selective strike up relationships of structured reality programmes such as Made editing in Chelsea (C4), The Only Way is Essex (ITV2) Cannot control the way the and Geordie Shore (MTV) are unpaid amateurs Can construct situations to manipulate who audience vote who allow the production companies to use their is up for eviction ‘real lives’ as starting points to the soap opera- style storytelling. The programmes claim to be Audience Can select who stays or goes by voting Cannot always identify how much retelling the real lives of the participants. They during evictions editing may be manipulating the make it clear, however, that scenes are set up way they perceive characters Can choose not to watch if the programme rather than being simple ‘fly on the wall’ recordings is not entertaining enough of events. Dramatic re-constructions add to the entertainment value of the programmes and the Participants – They can alter their behaviour in an They are unaware how they are participants are somewhere between subjects housemates attempt to make themselves more popular being presented by the institution of observation and actors. They are, though, the or entertaining. Some participants attempt or the tabloid press stars of their respective shows. As with Big Brother, to manipulate other people’s behavior too structured reality programmes provide plenty of They are unaware of how they are human interest stories for tabloid newspapers They can nominate other participants for perceived by the audience and and magazines; and as participants are not paid eviction could be repeating behaviours that by the productions companies, they need to make them unpopular generate tabloid interest to encourage magazines Press They can choose to represent contestants They cannot directly influence the and newspapers to pay them for interviews and as ‘villains’, ‘victims’ ‘heroes’ etc. contestants’ activities in the house stories. The participants can market themselves as a media product but they must find a way to They can use personal stories, photographs appear ‘newsworthy’. Amy Childs has been able etc. to create representations that could to construct a career which involves glamour manipulate the way the audience feels modelling, taking part in Celebrity Big Brother and about certain contestants writing a regular column for New! Magazine; as They may influence the decisions made by such she has now become a media product. the producers who may wish to reinforce Modern audiences clearly like to be active and (or challenge) a tabloid representation of a involved. They participate and push institutions participant to create new methods to allow them to be part of the media texts they watch. The public’s role as participants has changed over the years but institutions will no doubt want to continue to develop this relationship – especially as audience participation has proven to have the potential to turn a decent profit.

Steph Hendry teaches Media in Runshaw College, and is a principal examiner for AQA.

english and media centre | February 2012 | MediaMagazine 39