Sounds like BB could become even trashier then

"We are committed to strengthening Channel 5's status as one of UK broadcasting's premier brands"

I don't know what bulls*t this guy has been fed but Channel 5 IS NOT a premier brand in the UK and with content like Big Brother and Geordie Shore it is unlikely to become one.

"Viacom President and CEO Philippe Dauman said: "Our ownership of Channel 5 will significantly increase Viacom's investment in British creativity and content".

So Richard Desmond no longer has any stake in “mainstream” UK television?

Just papers now.

A press release released yesterday on Channel 5's corporate page:

10,000 BC

New entertainment show coming soon to Channel 5 and MTV UK

Coming soon to Channel 5 and MTV UK, 10,000 BC, produced by The Garden and GroupM Entertainment – the first co-commission between the two broadcasters following closure of Viacom’s deal to buy Channel 5.

How have we changed as humans since our ancestors first settled in these islands? What, if anything, is REALLY different about how we eat, live, and play? About how we think, feel and get on with each other? What would happen if you took modern humans out of the 21st century and transported them back to the Stone Age…?

Twenty men and women from every conceivable walk of life in modern Britain, are about to find out – the hard way. They have agreed to give up everything - possessions, technology, their home, creature comforts, ready meals, water on tap and their privacy – all to live in the wilderness as a Stone Age community.

Many people fantasise about living in a simpler age, but have no real sense of what it would be like – or how they'd cope. Using the lens of the Stone Age to strip away the trappings of contemporary life, this series will give viewers the chance to see what happens when modern people are laid bare. With their true selves revealed, beneath millennia of civilisation, it will be impossible to look away.

This programme is about exchanging modern life for a prehistoric one and to take stock of how our lives have changed. Has it all been for the better? Either way, it’ll be a highly emotionally charged roller coaster ride….tears, tantrums, laughter and joy, every day, 24/7.

These men and women will be going back to basics – big time. They’ll be hunting animals, foraging for food, subsisting on whatever they can scour from their environment. They’ll be cold, hungry, scared and pushed to the limits of endurance. They’ll have no one but themselves and each other to help get them through. How will they fare? What will this demanding, exhilarating experience make them (and the audience at home) realise about 21st century life?

Simon Raikes, Commissioning Editor: Factual added: “This is a remarkable fusion of social experiment and living history, it brings to Channel 5 the best of both worlds in one unmissable series that finally makes history fun and gives entertainment a purpose.”

Steve Regan, MTV UK’s VP, Commissioning and Production, added: “Our viewers love watching people from their age group coping with extreme circumstances… and you can’t get more extreme than stripping away all of life’s mod cons. We’re looking forward to working with the producers and the team at Channel 5 to produce a highly entertaining spin-off show focusing on the characters most relevant to MTV and all the emotions and tensions involved.”

Nick Curwin, Chief Executive of The Garden, said: "This social experiment is an exciting departure for us and we're going to produce one that will knock the audience's socks off. It's going to be ballsy, fascinating and entertaining and we're delighted to be doing it with GME for Channel 5 and MTV."

Richard Foster, MD GME UK said: “As the recent M&A activity in the marketplace continues to take hold there are going to be numerous opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations. We are delighted to be supporting the first commission across MTV and Channel 5 under the new Viacom ownership.”

10 x 60 minute episodes for Channel 5, 5 x 60 minute episodes for MTV UK

Originally Posted by El Loro:

Hmmm...

I don't think it's too presumptive to say that this is likely to be more reality TV than history show...

I used to have some contact with people who were - amongst other things - involved in re-enactments for historical and/or scientific research purposes, and as one of them would say, it's not a proper re-enactment unless half the group are removed due to malnutrition and there's been a cholera outbreak... 

Originally Posted by El Loro:

 Many people fantasise about living in a simpler age, but have no real sense of what it would be like – or how they'd cope. Using the lens of the Stone Age to strip away the trappings of contemporary life, this series will give viewers the chance to see what happens when modern people are laid bare. With their true selves revealed, beneath millennia of civilisation, it will be impossible to look away.

Hmmm...

I don't think it's too presumptive to say that this is likely to be more reality TV than history show...

 

I used to have some contact with people who were - amongst other things - involved in re-enactments for historical and/or scientific research purposes, and as one of them would say, it's not a proper re-enactment unless half the group are removed due to malnutrition and there's been a cholera outbreak... 

I agree with you as they are describing it as an entertainment show.

At first I thought it was the film it was being based on which was pretty dire.