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Grande Fratello
Created byJohn de Mol
Directed byFosco Gasperi (2000–2001)
Fabio Calvi (2003–2004, 2006–2009)
Sergio Colabona (2009–2012, 2014–2015)
Alessio Pollacci (2018–2019, 2023–present)
Marco Fuortes (2018–2019, 2023–present)
Presented byDaria Bignardi (2000–2001)
Barbara D'Urso (2003–2004, 2018–2019)
Alessia Marcuzzi (2006–2012, 2014–2015)
Alfonso Signorini (2023–present)
Country of originItaly
Original languageItalian
No. of series17
No. of episodes282 (lives shows)
Production
Running time190-220 min (approx.)
Production companyEndemol Shine Italy
Original release
NetworkCanale 5 (main show, 2000–present)
Italia 1 (daily recaps; 2014–present)
Stream TV (live; 2000–2003)
Sky (live; 2004, 2008–2009)
Mediaset Premium (live; 2006–2015)
Mediaset Extra (live; 2018–present)
La5 (live; 2010–present)
Release14 September 2000 (2000-09-14) –
present
Related
Grande Fratello VIP

Grande Fratello is the Italian version of the reality television franchise Big Brother. Begun in September 2000, it has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon in Italy. There have been twenty-two completed seasons as of 2023, sixteen regular seasons and seven celebrity seasons.[1]

Format

The old logo for the Italian version of Big Brother - Grande Fratello.

Based on the original Dutch version created by Endemol, the show sees a number of "housemates", divided by gender, social backgrounds and geographical locations, locked up together in a house, where the viewing public can watch them twenty-four hours a day, and vote them out of the house as they choose.[2][3]

The housemates can visit the "confessional" at any time during the day, either to talk to psychologists if they need to, talk to "Big Brother", or to nominate.

The title is inspired by the George Orwell novel 1984. The novel tells of a Big Brother, head of the totalitarian state of Oceania that constantly monitors its inhabitants by the camera in an attempt to suppress their free will. The tag line of the novel is "Big Brother is watching you", which inspired the show, as it is Big Brother who now has total control over the situation in the house.

The housemates live in a house 24 hours a day, bugged by numerous cameras and microphones which capture their every move. Every week the housemates participate in tasks that determine their food budget for that week, or could even affect that week's nominations. The overall goal is to be the final surviving housemate and claim the prize fund. A PlayStation game based on this version was released in 2003.

Series details

Seasons Launch date Finale date Days Housemates Winner Presenter Reporter Opinionist Direction Study Grand prize Average viewers
(in millions)		 Average share
External Social Home Study
1 14 September 2000 21 December 2000 99 10 Cristina Plevani Daria Bignardi Marco Liorni none none Alessio Pollacci Fosco Gasperi Theater 1 of Cinecittà, Rome ₤250,000,000[N 1] 9.82 37.00%
2 20 September 2001 20 December 2001 92 16 Flavio Montrucchio 8.00 32.74%
3 30 January 2003 8 May 2003 99 Floriana Secondi Barbara D'Urso Fabio Calvi Theater 5 of Cinecittà, Rome €241,000[N 2] 33.15%
4 22 January 2004 6 May 2004 106 15 Serena Garitta €300,000 8.44 33.89%
5 23 September 2004 2 December 2004 71 17 Jonathan Kashanian €250,000 6.86 30.70%
6 19 January 2006 27 April 2006 99[N 3] 18 Augusto De Megni Alessia Marcuzzi Palastudio of Cinecittà, Rome €900,000[N 4] 6.51 31.68%
7 18 January 2007 19 April 2007 92 19 Milo Coretti €500,000 5.57 25.80%
8 21 January 2008 21 April 2008 21 Mario Ferretti Alfonso Signorini 5.46 25.19%
9 12 January 2009 20 April 2009 99 23 Ferdi Berisa none €300,000 6.63 29.17%
10 26 October 2009 8 March 2010 134 26 Mauro Marin Sergio Colabona €250,000 6.16 27.83%
11 18 October 2010 18 April 2011 183[N 5] 35 Andrea Cocco €300,000[N 2] 5.43 23.55%
12 24 October 2011 1 April 2012 161[N 6] 36 Sabrina Mbarek €240,000[N 2] 3.85 17.40%
13 3 March 2014 26 May 2014 85 17[N 7] Mirco Petrilli Manuela Arcuri[N 8] Cesare Cunaccia[N 8] €250,000 4.12 19.15%
Vladimir Luxuria[N 9]
14 24 September 2015 10 December 2015 78 19 Federica Lepanto Chiara Tortorella Cristiano Malgioglio Claudio Amendola €200,000[N 2] 3.52 18.74%
15 17 April 2018 4 June 2018 49 17 Alberto Mezzetti Barbara D'Urso none Simona Izzo Marco Fuortes Alessio Pollacci €100,000 3.88 23.25%
16 8 April 2019 10 June 2019 64 19 Martina Nasoni Iva Zanicchi 3.25 19.94%
17 11 September 2023 25 March 2024 197 35 Perla Vatiero Alfonso Signorini Rebecca Staffelli Cesara Buonamici Voxson studies, Rome

Popularity

The program has broken several records, including exceeding a 50% share of the ratings (with peaks of 60% during season one). The fifth season recorded a decline in ratings which was put down to both the competition from rival reality television shows and the season's poor and hasty production. By the ninth season, the show recorded increasing ratings which took the program back to its original popularity.

Despite a decline in viewing figures over the years (especially in the twelfth season), Grande Fratello is still one of the most successful reality shows in Italy.

References

Annotations
  1. ^ Equivalent to €129,114.22.
  2. ^ a b c d Reduced or extended from €250,000.
  3. ^ Extended from 92 days.
  4. ^ Reduced from €1,000,000.
  5. ^ Extended from 168 days.
  6. ^ Reduced from 203 days.
  7. ^ Armando & Giuseppe are compete as a single housemate.
  8. ^ a b Until the fourth live show.
  9. ^ From the fifth live show.
Sources
  1. ^ "Grande Fratello VIP: trash, esperimento sociologico e politicamente (s)corretto". ilgiornaleditalia.it.
  2. ^ "La scienza del Grande Fratello (e degli altri reality show)". Focus.it.
  3. ^ "Se la realtà è peggiore del Grande Fratello". corriere.it.

External links

Grande Fratello - Big Brother Italy
Big Brother
Categories