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25 Years of Big Brother

Just checked and it follows the standard BBAU format of the entrances presented as "live" but then finishing the premiere with highlights of their first night in the house, so clearly not live.
 
In my defence I smoked a lot of weed in those days. Can anyone confirm there was never an actual live BBAU launch? What about S3 when Ben went into the round(?) house by himself for the first night?

I remember BBBA sending their spies along to pre-recorded ones. It's a shame the site's archives got lost.
 
timmy said:
In my defence I smoked a lot of weed in those days. Can anyone confirm there was never an actual live BBAU launch? What about S3 when Ben went into the round(?) house by himself for the first night?

I remember BBBA sending their spies along to pre-recorded ones. It's a shame the site's archives got lost.
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If I am correct 2003 was the only live launch?
 
Baffling then they returned to pre-recorded the following year, especially as they had a big secret. I think that was the year BBBA started covering the not-live launch as IIRC they announced three secrets to the audience and then played out just the $1m one on the show itself.

Based on those early Aussie launches and the first US one I wonder if that was the template for "live" launches - basically spend an hour introducing everyone then have them move in together at the end. I do recall the international producers initially preferred broadcasters to hold back broadcasting their first episode so they could launch it on TV with more footage.


I still think it was a huge mistake of C4 to drop it in 2010 - they just never allowed themselves to recover from the race row in early 2007 even though the fans were ready to move on immediately. They began to become more concerned about the critics not watchng than the fans who were sticking with it.

Internationally too it's quite interesting to compare series that have remained on air almost continously and those who've had breaks then been revived - often more than once. It's fair to say those who've stuck around for the long haul have remained more faithful to the concept yet still evolved. I'm not sure if any revived version has managed to recapture the success of it's original run.
 
Brekkie said:
Baffling then they returned to pre-recorded the following year, especially as they had a big secret. I think that was the year BBBA started covering the not-live launch as IIRC they announced three secrets to the audience and then played out just the $1m one on the show itself.
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I don't think they promised three secrets, just the one. But S4 of course had a change in EP from Peter Abbott to Kris Noble, so I wonder if that had anything to do with the decision not to stick with a live launch.



 
No, it was one secret but IIRC they announced three to the audience in order to protect which one was the genuine secret, although in later years I think any such twist was just recorded in the gallery rather than on stage instead.
 
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