WHEN an Orcadian fish trader was crowned champion of Big Brother 4 last year the cries were that reality TV was dead. With interest withering in what had previously been a summer ratings certainty, it appeared that while Big Brother may have been watching, viewers most certainly were not. They were switching off in their millions.

Professor Tom Devine, the historian whose BBC series Scotland’s Empire was screened on Fridays at the same time as I’m A Celebrity, said: “It’s a terrible comment on modern society. Its success may be something to do with the breakdown of community and the gossip that would have surrounded communities

In spite of the jibes, the show – hosted by Ant and Dec – became a hit. Within two weeks the first series was consistently reaching millions, outperforming Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and Pop Idol. This year, viewing figures for the first episode recorded a 200,000 increase on last year and a massive four million on the first series