BBC Radio Podcasts from Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV
10. A Format In Crisis & The Future of Reality TV: Love Island, Part 2
How one of TV’s most popular shows became mired in tragedy and controversy.
9. The Influencer Sausage Factory: Love Island, Part 1
How Love Island became a finishing school for influencers and a commercial juggernaut.
8. Lifestyles of The Mega-Rich: The Real Housewives & Selling Sunset
Property porn, toxic wealth, and why audiences want schadenfreude.
7. The British Docusoap: The Only Way Is Essex & Made In Chelsea
How these BAFTA-winning reality shows became national treasures.
6. Climbing The Ladder: Keeping Up With The Kardashians
America’s First Family and how they created an entirely new category of uber-celebrity.
5. The Birth of Scripted Reality: Laguna Beach & The Hills
The shows that birthed reality’s first wave of lifestyle influencers.
4. The Makeover Era: The Swan and What Not To Wear
How the rise of cosmetic surgery collided with reality TV.
3. The Wild West Years: There’s Something About Miriam and Who’s Your Daddy
How the explosion of reality TV in the early 2000s caused ethics to fly out the window.
2. The Talent Show Boom: Pop Idol and The X Factor
How three men called Simon are responsible for the gold rush of talent shows.
1. The Social Experiment: Big Brother Is Watching You
How Britain’s first ‘official’ reality show became a global phenomenon.
Introducing Unreal: A Critical History of Reality TV
The dumbest genre in entertainment, or the one that tells us the most about ourselves?