Is this the end of Reality TV?

Unless you've spent the last ten years living in a foreign jail for drug related crimes, I'm sure you've probably heard of Big Brother.

Auditions have recently started for the last season of the show in UK. In recent years the viewing figures have reduced, along with quality of the show if I'm honest. When BB first appeared on British TV screens back in 2000 it was fresh and exciting. It's clear that the shock value isn't there anymore and it feels that the shows creative people haven't evolved the format enough. Friends and colleagues have theorised about the shows failings - and the common feeling is that the producers have also often chosen housemates that simply aren't that entertaining. It is amazing to think that some of these individuals passed a supposedly thorough application process before being chosen. Were they really the best people they found from the many thousands of wannabe fame-seekers?

However, whilst Big Brother is disappearing from British TV screens, other Reality shows are still proving to be as popular as ever. For example, 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'Dancing On Ice' are and remain huge prime time TV hits.

Of course Reality TV will be popular for many years to come, but I wonder where this format will go in future? What lengths will TV producers go to in their attempts to keep the viewers watching? What totureous activities will former celebs and Joe public be asked to endure for a hefty paycheck - or the grand prize that is 'fame'?

How long will it be until we see 'Celebrity - Fight To The Death'? - a show where z-list celebs fight each other to the death using old copies of their biographies. ...or will Big Brother come back in 2025 as 'Big Brother in Space'? 25 celebrities live on a space station orbitting the earth, the winner is allowed to come home....