Tag: reality TV

Isn’t it time that fad diets went out of fashion?

Family Plates by Mountainbread, on FlickrChannel 4’s Supersize vs Superskinny is back on the telly. The long-running health show, which challenges two ‘extreme eaters’ to swap diets for a week, used to be my TV-watching guilty pleasure. Previous series’ were known for the infamous ‘feeding tube’ – a huge Perspex cylinder into which a week’s worth of food is emptied. It was a startling and vulgar visual representation of how much (and how little) some people can eat. And while Supersize vs Superskinny has been widely criticised for trivialising serious eating issues, it nevertheless reveals just how topsy-turvy attitudes to food have become. We now live in a world of extremes – and extreme times call for extreme weight loss diets. Read more

Bemused by The Great British Bake Off

Cup of Cake at Cupcake Cafe
The Great British Bake Off: A talent show for wannabe bakers
I couldn’t help but laugh.

“James’ choux pastry isn’t rising – it’s a real disaster” the commentator said in tones as if poor James’ house had just fallen down. I peered over my wife’s shoulder to see the unfolding catastrophe: anxious looking cooks whisked, poured and prayed (whilst gazing into ovens). An elderly woman wandered around critiquing contestants’ crème patisseries. “Who’s she?” I asked. “She… is the world expert in cooking.” Oh, yes – I should have recognised her. “What about the guy with the beard?” She was less certain this time, “I think he’s got something to do with baking.” I did however recognise the third presenter, British comedienne Sue Perkins. She clearly didn’t know much about cakes (apart from how to eat them). Even without her bouncy persona, this bizarre talent show was comical and somewhat ridiculous – everyday people in a sweaty angst for the sake of a chiffon cake.

Reality TV has invaded mainstream culture. How did this cheap daytime creation become such a phenomenon for TV viewers everywhere? Let’s discover the magic recipe for this newest middle-class guilty pleasure. Cue the tense music… will the cupcakes rise in time..? Read more