I guess it was too much to ask for a new series of Casataway to get anywhere near the brilliance of the first and the fact that the BBC have already reduced the programme schedule can only go to prove it.

Instead of families, raw self sufficiency and a lot of frugal imagination, we have individuals of varying (chosen) personalities who spend their time bickering, forming cliches and sunbathing whilst speaking about how hungry they are.

It’s a shame that this was obviously planned before the disaster of ‘Big Brother’, but the series is surely trying to find a slot somewhere between that programme and the old series.

The selection of castaways was obviously chosen more for a programme viewed by under 25’s or those studying human behaviour between a mixture of backgrounds and life experiences.
‘Will he have a romance with her’ – ‘Will he hit him’ – ”Will they work out who stole the baked beans’ etc.,etc.

The beauty of the first series was the baroness and gut of it. Ben Vogle was a natural leader and led people through their hardships and worries. After the series he became an established and respected TV Presenter in his own right, even rowing the Atlantic.
What will become of these people, some of which appearing to become ‘celebrity status’. Maybe a few appearances on some lesser chat show and a few articles in a tabloid! After that…….not much I shouldn’t suppose.

But, it does give some people entertainment and that’s the main thing. Who am I to say it’s right or wrong. All down to taste.

Being a twelve week run, the BBC have opportunities to change it a bit and maybe recapture some of the adventure of Ben’s crew. My final memory of that was the heartbroken face and tears he showed when he boarded the helicopter home, he was leaving ‘a team’ and not just a bunch of people.

Until then, I for one, won’t be watching it unless all the other stations cannot offer something more suitable to an olden!

Could this be the start of the end of reality TV – In the case of ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘Dragons Den’, I hope not, but………

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