Grande Fratello is the Italian version of the reality television franchise Big Brother, begun in September 14, 2000, and which has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon in Italy.
Italian Series[]
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.
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 Nineteen Eighty-Four. The novel tells of a Big Brother, head of the totalitarian state of Oceania that constantly monitors its inhabitants by 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.
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.
Seasons[]
Italy[]
| Grande Fratello Average Viewers Per Season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Premiere Date | Finale Date | Live show audience (in millions) |
| Grande Fratello 1 | September 14, 2000 | December 21, 2000 | 9.82 |
| Grande Fratello 2 | September 20, 2001 | December 20, 2001 | 8.00 |
| Grande Fratello 3 | January 30, 2003 | May 8, 2003 | 8.00 |
| Grande Fratello 4 | January 22, 2004 | April 6, 2004 | 8.44 |
| Grande Fratello 5 | September 23, 2004 | December 2, 2004 | 6.86 |
| Grande Fratello 6 | January 19, 2006 | April 27, 2006 | 6.51 |
| Grande Fratello 7 | January 18, 2007 | April 19, 2007 | 5.57 |
| Grande Fratello 8 | January 21, 2008 | April 21, 2008 | 5.46 |
| Grande Fratello 9 | January 12, 2009 | April 20, 2009 | 6.63 |
| Grande Fratello 10 | October 26, 2009 | March 8, 2010 | 6.16 |
| Grande Fratello 11 | October 18, 2010 | April 18, 2011 | 5.43 |
| Grande Fratello 12 | October 24, 2011 | April 1, 2012 | 3.85 |
| Grande Fratello 13 | March 3, 2014 | May 26, 2014 | 4.12 |
| Grande Fratello 14 | September 24, 2015 | December 10, 2015 | 3.52 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 1 | September 19, 2016 | November 7, 2016 | 4.19 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 2 | September 11, 2017 | November 28, 2017 | 4.86 |
| Grande Fratello 15 | April 17, 2018 | June 4, 2018 | 3.88 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 3 | September 24, 2018 | December 10, 2018 | 3.41 |
| Grande Fratello 16 | April 8, 2019 | June 10, 2019 | 3.26 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 4 | January 8, 2020 | April 8, 2020 | 3.41 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 5 | September 14, 2020 | March 1, 2021 | 3.31 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 6 | September 13, 2021 | March 14, 2021 | 3.09 |
| Grande Fratello VIP 7 | September 19, 2022 | April 3, 2023 | 2.65 |
| Grande Fratello 17 | September 11, 2023 | March 25, 2024 | 2.44 |
| Grande Fratello 18 | September 16, 2024 | March 31, 2025 | 2.13 |
| The Couple Italy 1 | April 7, 2025 | May 8, 2025 | 1.52 |
| Key: | Increase in Viewership | Decrease in Viewership | Consistent Viewership |
Trivia[]
References[]
| Big Brother Franchises | ||
|---|---|---|
| Africa | Africa (Secret) · Angola · Cameroon · Liberia · Nigeria · South Africa | |
| Americas | Argentina · Brazil · Canada (Quebec) · Chile · Colombia · Ecuador · Mexico · Pacific · Panama · Peru · United States (Spanish) · Uruguay | |
| Asia-Pacific | Arab States · Australia · China · India · Indonesia · Israel · Mongolia · Pakistan · Philippines · Thailand · Türkiye · Vietnam | |
| Europe | Albania · Balkans · Belgium · Bulgaria · Croatia · Czechia · Denmark · Finland · France (Loft) · Germany · Greece · Hungary (Való Világ) · Italy · Kosovo · Lithuania · Malta · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal (Secret) · Romania · Russia · Scandinavia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain (Secret) · Sweden · Switzerland · Ukraine · United Kingdom | |
| Virtual | Second Life | |