BBC1’s return to one of the original reality TV shows, Castaway, has not done well. After only being broadcast for a short while the show is being moved from its regular Sunday-evening, one hour prime-time slot to 3 half hour slots on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Viewing figures for the show have dropped by half since it began, from 4.2 million for its first episode to 2.1 million.
To be honest, I’m not surprised! Castaway has returned after a break of seven years – who cares? Is anyone nostalgic? Did anyone really want it to return? Since that time, reality TV shows have become more extreme and over-the-top, so this is just a pale addition to set. I’m not saying that every reality TV show should have screeching banshee airhead wannabees a la Big Brother, but that’s the way so many of these programmes are going nowadays.
Furthermore, the original featured 36 people spending a year on a remote Scottish island, battling the (sometimes) strong elements with few provisions – actually quite an intriguing living experiment. This time round, we have 13 people on a New Zealand island for three months. That’s way too few people to make it interesting. And, more importantly, the location and duration make it like a version of Shipwrecked without the hot young people and the pole dancing! And then it’s pointless!!