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A Life Less Ordinary

Episode 3: Reality TV

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

Available for over a year

When Mel went into the Big Brother house for the programme's first UK series, neither she nor the other contestants - or the production company behind the show - could anticipate the huge attention it would garner and the extent to which the media would pick up on the individuals involved. In this, the final part of 'A Life Less Ordinary' she describes how it felt to come out of the house and realise she'd been widely portrayed as a divisive flirt, and the impact the negative coverage had on not only her but also her family. Much of this negativity came from women journalists, and we also hear from Ruby, finalist in 'The Great British Bake Off' to hear how her experiences of both traditional and social media led her to write an angry retort in her own Guardian article against sexist coverage. Mel considers the extent to which signing up for a show makes participants in reality tv 'fair game' for reporters, talks with journalists who wrote about her time in the house - and also Jonny Mitchell, head of the Thornhill Academy - subject of the hugely successful series Educating Yorkshire, to hear his description of the positive opportunities the programme and the related media attention have offered not only him and his staff but also his pupils. Show less

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