The television<\/strong>: also known as the small screen<\/strong> (as opposed the big screen<\/strong>, obviously), the box<\/strong>, the idiot box<\/strong> (a clear negative connotation there) or the gogglebox<\/strong> (goggle<\/strong> meaning to look with wide open eyes). Gogglebox <\/strong>is also the name of a British reality show<\/strong> where television viewers<\/strong> are filmed in their own homes, commenting on the programmes<\/strong> shown on TV that week. Sounds strange, but it\u2019s entertaining and some of the once anonymous viewers<\/strong> have become celebrities<\/strong> in their own right. Reality TV<\/strong> is something that has become a staple on viewing schedules<\/strong> all over the world: from Big Brother<\/strong> and I\u2019m a Celebrity\u2026 Get Me Out Of Here <\/strong>(the UK version of Survivor<\/strong>) to Keeping Up With the Kardashians<\/strong> and The Apprentice<\/strong> (once hosted by Donald Trump!). However, it\u2019s not such a modern phenomenon: for many there have been Fly-on-the-wall documentaries<\/strong>, where events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. One remarkable example is the Up series<\/strong>: \u00a0in 1964 Granada Television<\/strong> screened 7up<\/strong>, where a group of seven-year-olds from different backgrounds were interviewed and filmed; seven years later the group was revisited and filmed again and every seven years the process has been repeated – this year filming will begin for 64-up<\/strong>! Documentaries<\/strong> continue to be an enormously successful form of entertainment. Last year Blue Plantet II<\/strong>, a nature documentary series<\/strong> on marine life gained the highest UK viewing figure for 2017, reaching 14.1 million! Another programme format is the docudrama<\/strong>: a television programme<\/strong> or film <\/strong>based on events that really happened. And then there\u2019s the mockumentary<\/strong>, a television programme<\/strong> that has the form of a serious documentary<\/strong> but is in fact filmed with actors with the aim of making fun of its subject matter. A very popular example of this on both sides of the Atlantic was The Office<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Another programme type is the talk show<\/strong> (US) or chat show<\/strong> (UK) where famous people talk about their lives or (more likely) just want to plug<\/strong> (promote) their latest film, song or book. And there\u2019s the perennial quiz show<\/strong>; formats such as The Wheel of Fortune<\/strong> or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire <\/strong>have aired <\/strong>all over the world. A very popular choice for language learners are series<\/strong> and top current choices seem to be Game of Thrones<\/strong> and Stranger Things<\/strong>. And the most viewed programmes in the UK are soap operas<\/strong> (or just soaps<\/strong>), ongoing series<\/strong> that follow the lives of a group of people, often neighbours. The most famous example is Coronation Street<\/strong>, which has been on the air <\/strong>every week since 1960! Language learners also go for sit-coms<\/strong> (situation comedies<\/strong>) and the international success of Friends<\/strong> and The Big Bang Theory<\/strong> shows that sometimes humour does travel.<\/p>\n Happy Viewing!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/virtualcampus.kingstraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/comp-gogglebox.png\")
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