Celebrity Big Brother 2012 launches in style!

 

TV's favourite reality orgasm returned to screens tonight, and bosses at Channel 5 have pulled out all the stops to ensure this is the most dramatic and explosive lineup the show has potentially ever seen. With 'zelebrities' ranging from cheating sex pests and bitchy models to uber-camp comedians and soap stars, Celebrity Big Brother has succeeded in delivering a great mix of housemates. There is a good spread of ages, and a range of personalities which are sure to clash.

Corrie's Bet Lynch enters the house

The night started extremely well, with Coronation Street start Julie Goodyear as the first to enter the house. After a barnstorming march down the catwalk, and a quick chat with Brian Downling (who is growing less annoying by the day), a dazed Julie entered the house to a chorus of cheers.

But she wasn't alone for long. Following close behind her was another fan favourite - Cheryl Fergison, perhaps best known for her part of Heather Trott in Eastenders. After another huge round of cheers from a surprisingly postiive audience, Cheryl was in the house. It was then that Big Brother delivered the night's twist to the two soap stars - they would be directed into soap-style 'meltdowns' through an earpiece by Big Bro. Hardly original, but the tried and tested twist eventually provided the most entertaining moments of the evening.

Mike 'The Situation' flashing his abs

And for a while, it looked like the celebs would keep rolling, with Jersey Shore's 'The Situation' entering next. 'Situation' is actually very famous over in the US of A, and thus is one of the shows biggest ever coups. But it was there that the A, B and C listers stopped rolling in, as a tirade of ex-models, cheaters, page 3 girls, So-Solid Crew members, random Princes and would-be olympians descended upon the house.

But do you know what? It doesn't matter that the aren't exactly famous, this series looks fantastic. There are plenty of young'uns to cop off in the jacuzzi, while the more mature housemates such as Samantha Brick should prove suitably controversial. And for a first episode, it was brilliant. Cheryl and Julie's staged argument was absolutely golden TV, and the eclectic mix of personalities will no doubt have me glued to the screen for another 3 weeks.

So basically Big Brother and Channel 5, well done once again. It seems as if this new broadcaster is finally figuring out what is needed for a successful series, and it has proven with BB13 that it can sustain interesting tasks the whole way through the series.

Check out the full lineup after the break:

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Dear God Why? Inbetweeners USA Cast revealed!

This cannot end well. The first cast photo for Inbetweeners USA has been released, and while I am excited at the premise of more adventures from the foul-mouthed characters that I had grown to love, my hopes have been tarnished by several terrible US imports of blighty classics.

Case in point: Shameless. Another classic, sweary, dirty british comedy which became a true cult classic with a large fan following. But when the American version came along, the humour was replaced with tired actors, terrible comic timing, and a general sense of awfulness. It was a mess, and broadcasters MTV seem to know that.

So we can but hope that The Inbetweeners fare better across the pond. And to be fair, there do seem to be more things going for this adaptation than usual. The series is being co-developed by one of the creators of the US show, so that should at least ensure that the dick jokes and profanity arrive on US shores untouched. One of the most definitve things about the UK show is the near-constant stream of sex, boobs, testicles, swearing and clunge. What is the American word for clunge.

And what are my first impressions of the cast? They look like an interesting bunch, to say the least. I'm not quite sure, however, that a chubby Jay and a fit Simon really capture the feel of the UK series, and I'm not reassured that a low-budget Shaagy from Scooby Doo is the right look for Neil.

However I think it is my duty as a semi-serious journlist to at least give this a shot, and if you want to join me, The Inbetweeners US starts August 20th on MTV.

 

 

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