Entertainment

‘It’s not easy to get clout’: Viral reality show Badderz UK encourages contestants to drink, fight and behave badly

Published

4 months ago

February 3, 2024

admin

Badderz UK is an online reality show in which contestants are encouraged to drink, fight and generally behave badly.

It’s quickly gone viral, raking up almost 100,000 views in less than a week.

It is – as its executive producer Lani Good admits – unashamedly “extreme”. Were it to be on TV, without question she says “it would be watered down”.

While UK broadcasters would be criticised for not protecting participants were they to air a similar show on TV, on the internet, the same duty of care rules don’t apply.

“I feel like TV needs to take a chill pill, we’re just trying to have to have a laugh… the [contestants] were dying to do it, they literally want the drama,” Ms Good insists.

On terrestrial television, reality ratings have experienced something of a slump in recent years, so has the future of the genre moved online where environments are more raw and less controlled?

TV producers are “out of touch”, Ms Good insists, adding the majority of young people think “reality TV is pants”.

“I didn’t want to wait for opportunities to come my way,” the Youtuber-turned-TV producer told Sky News. “I thought I’ve got a bit of money, I’ll do it myself.”

That money was in fact her share of winnings from appearing on the Channel 4 reality show Tempting Fortune almost a year ago now.

One of the most ‘hated people on TV’

If her name doesn’t ring a bell, then you might perhaps remember her from briefly being one of the most “hated people on TV”, as she puts it.

The premise of the Paddy McGuinness show saw 12 strangers take part in an 18-day-long trek, the goal being not to give in to the temptations of home comforts en route, which would see money taken out of the shared prize pot at the end.

Ms Good happily blew the group’s cash pot on a £900 hot chocolate, then a £500 milkshake. As her teammates lost it with her, in reality terms, it was TV gold.

Afterwards, she says trolls tried to get her sacked from her day job as a graphic designer. The criticism was brutal, which is why she maintains she’s better placed to fully prepare contestants on her own self-funded show.

Warnings about trolling

She maintains on her show she gave contestants “a level of transparency” she never experienced when she appeared on reality TV about the level of trolling they could potentially receive.

“Mainstream TV and broadcasters, when they do their duty of care beforehand, I think they do what they need to do so they don’t get sued,” she says. “I don’t believe they really care. They don’t ever fully prepare you for what you can go through.”

While she admits she’s setting out to get clicks, she doesn’t believe she’s exploiting her young stars, who are happy to be shown screaming and fighting.

“It’s an exchange, I believe,” she says. “I benefit obviously because I’m a producer, I gain the profit, but… young people in this day and age want to be popular, if you don’t have a thousand likes in your picture who are you? You’re nobody.

“That’s what young people care about these days, that’s not my fault… and I’ve given it to them, that’s priceless, it’s not easy to get clout.”

Tightening protections for participants

Traditional broadcasters are now obliged to follow Ofcom-dictated regulations to protect the mental and physical well-being of contestants, but the media regulator has little control over content creation online.

Developmental psychologist and filmmaker Professor John Oates says it isn’t a level playing field.

“It’s totally unbalanced because in the last few years protections for participants – and to some extent crews – has really been tightened up in terms of protecting wellbeing,” he says.

“[Online] it’s the wild west, you can do what you like on social media as long as you don’t put up illegal content, basically as long as you don’t put up pornography or incitement to terrorism primarily.”

Are online viral shows even more problematic?

While broadcasters may claim to take the moral high ground now, it wasn’t too long ago that even on mainstream TV, on shows like the original Channel 4 Big Brother, contestants would depart to baying mobs, whipped into a frenzy with seemingly little thought given as to how they’d cope with such a reception when they were alone in the real world.

Only after Love Island and the deaths of Mike Thalassitis and Sophie Gradon were rules around protecting contestants scrutinised.

Of course, the ITV dating show has had to navigate countless complaints over the years – from sexism and ageism to racism over how black contestants are frequently picked last when it comes to coupling up. But are the quick-to-go-viral alternatives online even more problematic if they look like Badderz?

Shows ‘feed into the stereotype’

TV presenter and social commentator Zeze Millz hates the message it sends out.

“Being a black woman, we already have a stereotype of being aggressive or having a chip on our shoulder,” she tells Sky News.

“I feel like shows like this when fighting and discourse is the main premise of it, is never going to work in our favour, will never make us look good, and in fact just feeds into the stereotype.”

A concern for Millz is that while the show’s rebellious contestants might be enjoying a boost in followers now, they’re not taking a step back to think about the potential future harm it might do.

“You’ve got that digital footprint… and literally you’re dragging girls across the floor,” she says.

On her YouTube show, Ms Millz makes the point that “young people can do better”.

“The culture that we’re in at the moment, being a TikTok star, being a viral star, is probably more appealing to young people right now than getting a normal nine to five,” she says.

“They really believe ‘I’m going to go viral… and then I’m going to get a deal, then I’m going to get loads of money… I don’t care about my job’. Because I’m in their head, they think that they’ve already got to that point where they don’t even need a job.”

It is a genre that’s all too easily dismissed as harmless trash TV but could the reality be that what we’re watching matters more than we might realise?

Entertainment

Sienna Miller walks the Cannes red carpet with daughter Marlowe

Published

2 hours ago

May 20, 2024

admin

Sienna Miller walks the Cannes red carpet with daughter Marlowe

Sienna Miller has walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival with her daughter Marlowe Ottoline Layng Sturridge.

The 42-year-old actress, who was born in the US but brought up in the UK, has been promoting her new film Horizon: An American Saga, directed by Kevin Costner.

Miller – who will appear in this film and its next instalment – plays East Coast settler Frances Kittredge, who moves to the Horizon settlement with her husband and two children.

Miller wore a pale blue floor-length gown, while 12-year-old Marlowe wore a white dress with a large pale pink bow around the waist for her red carpet debut.

Miller gave birth to Marlowe, whose father is The Sandman star Tom Sturridge, 38, in 2012.

She had a second daughter earlier this year with The Crown actor Oli Green, who also attended the premiere.

Miller and Green, 27, met at a Halloween party thrown by a mutual friend and have since moved to London together.

Costner – who not only directs the film but also co-wrote and stars in it too – had plenty of family support on the red carpet.

The 69-year-old Hollywood star brought five of his seven children – Annie, 40, Cayden, 17, Grace, 13, Lily, 37, and Hayes, 15. The latter makes his screen acting debut in the movie.

Horizon: An American Saga spans four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, and is described by the studio behind it, Warner Bros, as an “ambitious cinematic adventure” telling the story of the United States of America “through the lens of families, friends and foes”.

Brace yourself for a three-hour epic – and more to come

The two-part western – of which this is the first chapter – received a 10-minute standing ovation when it premiered on Sunday.

Costner also says he has scripts ready for two further instalments in the story, which would extend the epic to four parts if commissioned.

The Yellowstone star, who first pitched a version of the movie back in 1988, has plenty at stake in the project, and personally financed around $100m for the film and its sequel.

He will be hoping to emulate the success of his 1990 directorial debut Dances With Wolves, which he also starred in and produced. The movie was a box office hit, winning multiple Oscars including best picture and best director.

Horizon: An American Saga runs for over three hours and will come to UK cinemas at the end of June.

It also features Avatar star Sam Worthington, Donnie Darko actress Jena Malone and Owen Wilson’s brother Luke Wilson.

Entertainment

GB News show with Rishi Sunak broke broadcasting rules, Ofcom finds

Published

5 hours ago

May 20, 2024

admin

GB News show with Rishi Sunak broke broadcasting rules, Ofcom finds

GB News could face punishment after a programme with Rishi Sunak broke broadcasting rules.

Regulator Ofcom said it was considering a “statutory sanction” after finding ‘People’s Forum: The Prime Minister’ breached impartiality guidelines.

GB News called it “an alarming development” that “strikes at the heart of democracy”.

The hour-long show, which aired on 12 February, saw members of the public put questions to the prime minister. However, it received 547 complaints.

Ofcom said in March that five other GB News programmes featuring politicians acting as presenters – including two hosted by Jacob Rees-Mogg – also broke impartiality rules.

The watchdog said the show featuring Mr Sunak was fine in principle, but “due weight” should have been given to an “appropriately wide range of significant views” other than the Tories’.

These should have happened during the programme itself or “in other clearly linked and timely programmes”.

It said Mr Sunak “had a mostly uncontested platform to promote the policies and performance of his Government in a period preceding a UK General Election”.

“We have therefore recorded a breach of rules 5.11 and 5.12 of the Broadcasting Code against GB News,” it added.

The channel was quick to hit back at the ruling and denied breaking the impartiality rules.

“The regulator’s threat to punish a news organisation with sanctions for enabling people to challenge their own prime minister strikes at the heart of democracy at a time when it could not be more vital,” it said.

“Our live programme gave an independently selected group of undecided voters the freedom to challenge the Prime Minister without interference,” added the channel.

It said neither producers nor the prime minister had seen the questions beforehand and Mr Sunak was kept “under constant pressure and covered a clearly diverse range of topics”.

Entertainment

P Diddy: Rapper Sean Combs says video of him assaulting singer Cassie is ‘inexcusable’

Published

23 hours ago

May 19, 2024

admin

P Diddy: Rapper Sean Combs says video of him assaulting singer Cassie is 'inexcusable'

Sean “Diddy” Combs has said CCTV footage showing him attacking singer Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 is “inexcusable” and that he is “disgusted”.

Warning: This story includes images readers may find distressing

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” the rapper said in a video on Instagram.

“I was f***** up – I mean I hit rock bottom – but l make no excuses. My behaviour on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.

“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

The 54-year-old, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence.

Footage obtained by CNN this week shows Combs – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – wearing only a white towel as he punches and kicks Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway on 5 March 2016.

The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie and throwing a vase in her direction.

Cassie, an R&B singer whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.

The 37-year-old sued Combs in November with the lawsuit accusing him of rape and violent behaviour during their decade-long relationship.

The suit was settled the next day, but it lead to intense scrutiny of Combs, who has since been named as a defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to the raid in March.

He denied the allegations in the lawsuits, but neither he nor his representatives had responded to the newly emerged video until Sunday.

After the footage emerged, Douglas H Wigdor, lawyer for Ms Ventura, said in a statement in response: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.

“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Combs’ Instagram apology is the hip-hop mogul’s most direct response after six months of allegations that have threatened his reputation and career.

Previous statements have been released through his lawyers.

The security camera video, dated 5 March 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles described in Ms Ventura’s November lawsuit.

The suit alleges that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 (around £39,000) for the security video immediately after the incident.

Neither he or his representatives have addressed that specific allegation.

CNN did not say how it obtained the footage.

Combs is not in danger of being criminally prosecuted for the beating.

The statutes of limitations for the assault and battery charges he would be likely to face expired years ago.