Big Brother cameras off for Josh
Nine was right to turn off the cameras and allow some privacy for Josh Moore and Big Brother housemates.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Big Brother cameras were turned off yesterday as Josh Moore was given time to meet with his housemates off camera before leaving the house.
This followed the tragic death of his brother Toby, aged 32.
The official BB site does reports that “the Housemates were informed of Josh’s departure and following that, Josh entered the Captain’s Quarters, where he met the Housemates off camera. The Housemates were able to express their condolences and support of Josh and his family for an appropriate time before Josh returned to the House with them to take a final farewell tour and say goodbye to each of his Housemates.”
Nine was right to turn off the cameras and allow some privacy. Duty of care rises above the audience’s right to know.
There were solemn moments during last night’s episode, none more than the closing shot of Josh walking towards the Captain’s Quarters where he would first meet his parents to receive the sad news.
Thursday night’s episode included a title card that indicated the episode had been filmed prior to his departure from the house. Each Daily episode is comprised almost entirely of footage from 24 hours earlier, as it has been across every series, to accommodate post-production.
There are no easy ways to deal with a tragedy impacting on Reality TV, Nine has also cancelled Sunday night’s eviction show and closed voting lines on Thursday morning. On Sunday it will run a Daily show edition. Josh was not nominated for eviction -he never had been- but Nine and Southern Star are donating revenue to the Salvation Army at the request of family.
During 2007’s Big Brother a housemate’s father passed away but the family told producers it was their wishes not to advise the contestant.
In the second season of US BB producers had to weigh up whether to tell housemates about the attacks on the World Trade Center, which they eventually did. Games were suspended for the week as a result.
I remember interviewing Marion Grasby following her departure from MasterChef, which had prevented contestants from hearing news during their time in the series. She hadn’t heard anything about the riots that had taken place in Bangkok, despite having family in Thailand. It felt very strange having to tell her the news during what was supposed to be an interview about her success in the series.
Tonight’s episode of Big Brother will see Josh depart the series and is a necessary inclusion in its storytelling. Hopefully he will return for the finale after spending time with his family.
A statement on the official site reads: “The Southern Star production team and the Nine Network wish to express their sympathy to Josh and the Moore family.
“If you would like to send a message of support, you can do so by emailing [email protected]”
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- Tagged with Big Brother, MasterChef Australia
13 Responses
Somethings the media do report are correct, some not. There are also reports that it will bot be sad or morbid, but a celebration of Josh’s time in the house.
Not only that, Southern Star and 9 have a legal and moral duty of care the Housemates as well. So this would of been taken into account beforehand. I would imagine the psychologist would be the person most involved in saying yes or no to Josh appearing. It appears that all through this process Josh and his family have been consulted.
well, of course everything the media reports is correct!….Not… still think it’s a crappy grab for ratings…..
how is it “respectful” of CH9 to have the show on Sunday be all about the tragedy in Josh’s family. they even have him coming back for an appearance about it- which I bet was not foremost in his mind, but was coerced. Tacky of Ch 9 to be milking this event for their crappy ratings… 🙁
Sunday’s show is not all about a tragedy. Media reports indicate Josh asked to return.
they certainly handled this alot better than the death of Emma’s father in BB 07 which was absolutely disgraceful
Sincere condolences to Josh and his family.
Kudos to the Big Brother producers who have handled a tragic situation in a delicate and respectful manner.
I saw today’s Morning show where Sonia announced that she would be “chatting to Josh” on Sunday night. Sonia also mentioned that it was Josh’s choosing to speak. Not sure whether he will be appearing live as this was not made clear.
Hi David, I think you might find that it was the US Big Brother that was informed of the WTC Attacks as Big Brother 2 Aus ran from 8 April 2002-1 July 2002 well after the attack as Big Brother 1 ran before the attack: 23 April 2001- 16 July 2001
Yes I meant US season two.
“the audience’s right to know.”
Hi David – I don’t think I’ve ever disagreed with anything you’ve written (well, one or two reviews perhaps). But really, there is no audience “right” to know. What we have here is puerile and ghoulish interest at best.
Rudi, maybe you misunderstand. I think we are agreeing about the same thing.
Kudos to Southern Star and Nine for they have been handling this. It was correct to let the Housemates meet Josh in private. Its not something we needed to see. In many ways I’m sure they have become a second family to each other, and would all be feeling Josh’s loss.
A reminder of how quickly life can change.
My condolences are with Josh and his family. I can’t begin to imagine what he is feeling and going through at the moment! Nine and Southern Star have dealed with this situation with a great deal of respect and dignity and should be commended for how they have handled it. They have done a terrific job! A very sad time for Josh and I wish him all the best. He was a great housemate and was great to watch. I wish the family all the best through this difficult time. R.I.P Toby Moore!