Big Brother Australia: Inside the 2008 cancellation of 2000s reality TV juggernaught

Australia fell in love with Big Brother and made it one of the biggest shows on TV in the 2000s. But its end came swiftly, costing more than 300 jobs.

Australia fell in love with Big Brother and made it one of the biggest shows on TV in the 2000s.

From bum dancing to anti-war protests, the show, filmed on the Gold Coast and hosted by Gretel Killen, became appointment viewing for millions of people, helping to establish reality TV a dominant genre in the 21st century.

Jemma, Johnnie and Blair during the 2001 series.

But the gloss came off as the 2000s wore on and the show was axed 15 years ago this weekend.

Big Brother’s shock cancellation in July 2008 was a sad and inglorious end to a series which broke the mould and made history.

It began with a bang seven years earlier when the original housemates entered the complex on April 23, 2001 in what was described as “the biggest television event since the papal tour of Australia in 1986”.

Sara-Marie and Blair.

There were 26 cameras and 32 microphones placed in every room of the Dreamworld-based house, including the toilet and showers to capture every moment. The housemates were forced to wear microphones at all times except when sleeping and showering.

Australians became intimately familiar with every corner of the complex during the three months the first season was airing.

Once a housemate was voted out of the house they left through a door and were taken by golf buggy down a path to reach the auditorium near the Dreamworld carpark where they met Killeen during the weekly Sunday night eviction shows. An immediate ratings hit, its housemates became immediate household names, including bunny ear-wearing bum dancer Sara-Marie Fedele, lip gloss aficionado Jemma Gawned, runner-up Blair McDonough who went on to become an actor and winner Ben Williams.

Ben, Sara-Marie and Blair became stars during the inaugural series.

Upon the completion of Season one the house became a tourist attraction open to the public through late 2001 and early 2002 before it was closed and refurbished ahead of that year’s season.

Subsequent series also made famous Gold Coasters Jess Hardy, Reggie Bird, Bree Amer and Trevor Butler.

By 2008, ratings were down, Killeen was gone and replaced as host by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O and the public was turning off.

Hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O in July 2008 in the week the show’s end was announced.

Big Brother, which at its peak commanded ratings of more than 2 million people a night, hit its nadir in May 2008 when it was out-rated by then-Treasurer Wayne Swan’s budget speech.

The announcement of the show’s cancellation on July 14, 2008, came amid an appearance by US television star Pamela Anderson.

A source within the production revealed why the show’s producer, Endemol Southern Star decided not to renew the show in 2009.

``After eight years the format is tired,’’ said the source.

Big Brother 2008: US actor Pamela Anderson entered the house for a three-day visit. Pictured here with housemate Rory.

``Last year the ratings slipped with Gretel, so they brought in Kyle and Jackie but the ratings have continued to slip.

``The show has been suffering from the fact that, unlike other countries, it’s in a family friendly timeslot and has had to be toned down to make it so kids can watch it.

``There is a feeling it will be roosted for a year and it might be snapped up by another network and put in a later timeslot.

Big Brother 2008: Finale: past winners reunion, on stage with hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O

``I think the crew have had a feeling that it was on its last legs and if it didn’t pick up (they) thought it might flop.’’

The show was revived by Channel 9 in 2012 and producers chose to again use the Gold Coast compound but it didn’t prove as popular as the original and was again cancelled after the 2014 season.

The original Big Brother house at Dreamworld was destroyed in a 2019 fire while the show was again revived elsewhere in 2020.

Originally published as Big Brother Australia: Inside the 2008 cancellation of 2000s reality TV juggernaught