Big Brother 2009

Forgive me if I don't shed a tear over the cancellation of Big Brother. For years, the publicists of the show have proclaimed that it's a cultural treasure, a sign of our generation. Tabloid newspapers have dedicated entire pull-out supplements to Big Bro, and Heat magazine has drooled at a new influx of nonentities for them to take pictures of.

But, now that Channel 4 has declared the age of Big Brother to be over, The Mirror will have to put their Pollyometer in mothballs, and The Sun are surely already making an appointment for their BB Bitch, Emma Cox, to be declawed.

Even sensible intellectual snobs stopped complaining about Big Brother and the cultural brain drain a few years ago. I suspect it was a combination of getting tired of the sound of our own voices and the certainty that the rest of the country would catch up eventually.

There's been a massive kerfuffle this year about the Big Brother live feed being scrapped. Disappointed fans have been commenting about it on Twitter, and on Big Brother websites.

But is it really a big deal? As someone on a blog I read yesterday said, all you're watching is some footage of foliage and hearing stock clips of birds cheeping and traffic. I know some people feel watching the live feed is an integral part of the 24/7 coverage that Big Brother is supposed to provide, but is it essential?

Channel 4 claims that providing the live feed is expensive and viewing figures suggest that the audience for the live feed have dwindled over the years.

However, there's a very vocal, dedicated core of viewers who want the live feed reinstated. One went so far as to make threats to chief executive Andy Duncan. That's how deeply feelings about this live feed run!

What about you guys? Do you miss the live feed, or can you live with the highlights shows at night? Would you rather watch endless repeats of Friends, or is it you posting threatening letters to Channel 4 staff?