BBC survey finds reality TV ‘stars’ are a turn-off for viewers
A survey of audience attitudes conducted by the BBC has found that viewers are fed up with the sight of reality TV ‘stars’ on their screens and would increasingly prefer to see ‘normal’ people recruited instead.
The most significant demographic to express dissatisfaction with the status quo were women over 55, who feel marginalised by broadcast schedules which favour younger women, a trend particularly evident in news and documentaries.
A scheduling gender imbalance currently sees two men appear on screen for every one woman, despite women accounting for 55 per cent of all viewing hours. Across the board there is a paucity of older women whom viewers consider to be more ‘real’.
Despite such qualms David Bunker, the BBC’s head of audience research, told the Observer that viewers were: “more interested in thinking: ‘Did I enjoy that?’ than: ‘Were the genders equally represented?”
Bunker went on to cite recent shows which have helped to redress the balance to some degree; notably Happy Valley which featured a strong female lead and an EastEnders sub-plot in which a mother struggles when her son comes out as gay.