This was done a couple of weeks on the offical site for Freddie but it's an interesting read 
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SAVE THE FREDDIE
My son Freddie announced a few months ago to that he wanted to audition for a “reality” television programme called “Big Brother”. Naturally, my wife, Annie, and I objected in the strongest possible terms. This, also naturally, was to no avail; young people will always have their own way. Freddie was ultimately successful and now lives amongst some ten “housemates” in a TV studio home which is isolated from the outside world. He has been there a month and will potentially be there for two more months.
Our family has lived at Oakley Hall, in the neighbourhood of Ashley/Loggerheads, for 28 years. During that time we have made a goodly number of friends, many of whom have expressed an interest in the Freddie’s experience. For this reason, I have written a brief background article on the Big Brother “House”, Freddie and the reality of “reality” TV.
Big Brother is a game show in which a group of typically young people live in a TV studio “House” where their actions are filmed by cameras 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The nightly Channel 4 shows can attract audiences of up to 2 million people, together with other spin-off and copy-cat TV productions and innumerable internet chat rooms, fan clubs etc. Big Brother is a phenomenon. Housemates may spend up to three months in the House if they are to win the competition. Each week the housemates nominate two of their fellow housemates with one of them selected for eviction by way of phone-in voting open to the TV audience. The competition continues until there is only one housemate left, and that individual is rewarded with a substantial cash prize. Contestants come from a wide range of backgrounds and are themselves often controversial. Antagonism can run high amongst contestants and strong language and personal confrontation often ensue. Watching Big Brother is not recommended for people who worry that the next generation is paving a super highway to perdition. Their worst fears will surely be confirmed.
Our son, Freddie, was intrigued in part by the social experiment aspect of the show. He had been on TV before, when at the tender age of 7 he appeared and spoke on a Midlands Today programme during a protest march to save the historic Blore Heath Battlefield from being quarried for gravel. Freddie is a devout conservationist, learning a love of our beautiful countryside from his early days at Mucklestone School. He subsequently became a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral School, then Shrewsbury School and ultimately won a place at Oxford where he majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Although an enthusiastic free thinker, Freddie is also a loyal supporter of the Conservative Party and was active mobilising over 20 friends to distribute leaflets to support what turned out to be a decisive Conservative victory in the recent Staffordshire County Council elections. Freddie’s other interests include sustainable agriculture and community development.
During his years at Shrewsbury, Freddie was diagnosed with severe dyslexia. It was more than just poor spelling. He had to learn many new skills and deploy other talents to compensate for his real difficulties. Dyslexia does not go away. Today Freddie copes well but does see the world in a very different way from most people. This adds to his pronounced eccentricity, something which his housemates have found annoying. To date they have “nominated” Freddie each week (four times now) to be evicted from the House. Yet, each week a fair minded and tolerant TV audience have voted to keep him in. The drama continues.
.SAVE THE FREDDIE
My son Freddie announced a few months ago to that he wanted to audition for a “reality” television programme called “Big Brother”. Naturally, my wife, Annie, and I objected in the strongest possible terms. This, also naturally, was to no avail; young people will always have their own way. Freddie was ultimately successful and now lives amongst some ten “housemates” in a TV studio home which is isolated from the outside world. He has been there a month and will potentially be there for two more months.
Our family has lived at Oakley Hall, in the neighbourhood of Ashley/Loggerheads, for 28 years. During that time we have made a goodly number of friends, many of whom have expressed an interest in the Freddie’s experience. For this reason, I have written a brief background article on the Big Brother “House”, Freddie and the reality of “reality” TV.
Big Brother is a game show in which a group of typically young people live in a TV studio “House” where their actions are filmed by cameras 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The nightly Channel 4 shows can attract audiences of up to 2 million people, together with other spin-off and copy-cat TV productions and innumerable internet chat rooms, fan clubs etc. Big Brother is a phenomenon. Housemates may spend up to three months in the House if they are to win the competition. Each week the housemates nominate two of their fellow housemates with one of them selected for eviction by way of phone-in voting open to the TV audience. The competition continues until there is only one housemate left, and that individual is rewarded with a substantial cash prize. Contestants come from a wide range of backgrounds and are themselves often controversial. Antagonism can run high amongst contestants and strong language and personal confrontation often ensue. Watching Big Brother is not recommended for people who worry that the next generation is paving a super highway to perdition. Their worst fears will surely be confirmed.
Our son, Freddie, was intrigued in part by the social experiment aspect of the show. He had been on TV before, when at the tender age of 7 he appeared and spoke on a Midlands Today programme during a protest march to save the historic Blore Heath Battlefield from being quarried for gravel. Freddie is a devout conservationist, learning a love of our beautiful countryside from his early days at Mucklestone School. He subsequently became a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral School, then Shrewsbury School and ultimately won a place at Oxford where he majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Although an enthusiastic free thinker, Freddie is also a loyal supporter of the Conservative Party and was active mobilising over 20 friends to distribute leaflets to support what turned out to be a decisive Conservative victory in the recent Staffordshire County Council elections. Freddie’s other interests include sustainable agriculture and community development.
During his years at Shrewsbury, Freddie was diagnosed with severe dyslexia. It was more than just poor spelling. He had to learn many new skills and deploy other talents to compensate for his real difficulties. Dyslexia does not go away. Today Freddie copes well but does see the world in a very different way from most people. This adds to his pronounced eccentricity, something which his housemates have found annoying. To date they have “nominated” Freddie each week (four times now) to be evicted from the House. Yet, each week a fair minded and tolerant TV audience have voted to keep him in. The drama continues.
