Big Brother - I'm (not) watching you

I haven't watched it for years but I used to be really in to it.  I mean really in to it. Shouting at the telly-and-calling-friends-to-discuss in to it. Sitting-up-all-night-with-them-on-the-telly-but-asleep in to it.

Big Brother eye logos from over the years - C4 and C5 ones!

Big Brother started when I was at the end of a Sociology A level and so, with its bona fide "Social Experiment" status, the original series held great interest for me.

After that, I fell in love with the concept as I've always said that my dream home would be a ma-husive mansion house, full of separate apartments and communal spaces, where all my family and friends could live together in perfect (Coca Cola-sponsored?) harmoneeeeeeeeeeee.

I know the concept of communal living scares the bajeezus out of most people, but I just love the idea. The theory that you have your own space when necessary but the rest of the time you can mingle with others.

I think I love it because, due to Mr G's job I spend a lot of time on my own wishing there were more people about to chat to. I spend a lot of time planning trips, excursions, parties, meet ups and days and nights out and almost every weekend and every evening is packed with people to see so that I don't get bored in my own company. So not only would it keep me happy, it'd probably save me a hell of a lot of money as well!

I love the idea of waking up in the morning and wandering out of my room to find people to talk to. Or perhaps not my room. Perhaps I'll have stayed late chatting with a buddy and snoozed in their room for the night. You never know! I love winding down at the end of the day in a pool of low light in the corner as everyone is heading off to bed in dribs and drabs. I love being part of a big group. I love falling asleep to the sounds of life and activity, knowing that if I want to, I could get up and join in.

It's why I love Christmas in my parents' house. It's why it was actually really lovely moving back in with my parents for a short while last summer. It's why I adore big group holidays, trips and hen dos. It's why I won't be upset when my family puts me in an old people's home when I'm old. It's one of the only things I about university I look back at and wonder if I should have opted in for... and then realise no... I like living amongst people, NOT in (student) poverty! I watch reality TV or sitcoms where everyone just congregates together in one person's house and wish my life was like that (also for the fact that no one is working, cleaning, doing chores, etc, but that's by the by) and when my friends come from big families and always have a house full of family members, friends and even randoms I just want to pack a bag and move in!

Anyway, I digress. Over the years I watched Big Brother thinking about how much fun it'd be to spend the summer hanging out in a big house with all my buddies. I watched it almost obsessively from series one through eight (except, strangely with the exception of series four, of which I watched zilch. Sorry Cameron). At series nine, ten and eleven I kind of checked out, watching it less religiously and keeping up with updates mainly via the media.

But it wasn't just the fantasy living arrangements I tuned in for, nor the sociological/psychological analysis on Sunday nights, the weird human behvaiour, the big personalities and the exhibitionism, the fun camaraderie (and the not so factions that then developed) the crazy tasks or the fact that I fell head over heels in love with Davina, Dermot and Russell and needed my daily/nightly/weekly fix of them. The other thing that I just LOVED, and perhaps still love, about Big Brother is the interior design.

I love colour. I love a theme. I love kitsch and so I love all the crazy random crap that they just stick everywhere for, well, just because, really. Check out some of the BB house design schemes over the years here. Ah, the memories!

Even on the most recent Channel 5 episodes, I've completely avoided anything to do with the people, but have still gone looking for pictures of the house interior.

Imagine how excited I was, when the other day I found this little section of the Very.co.uk website. Now you too can decorate your house to look like.... well, like what? How on earth would you describe the BB houses over the years? 

 

 

Anyway - think of all the multi-coloured, crazily-patterned, non-matchy, useless-but-fun, kitschy junk I can buy now for my house?  Excellent!

So who wants to come and live with me for the summer? I promise there are no cameras... well, maybe some instagramming...