What Even Is the Point of Big Brother in 2025?
Twenty-four years ago, voyeurism alone made Big Brother a compelling and unique show. The new season’s return asks if it can still resonate today.
Last night, a familiar voice welcomed viewers: “Are you ready to come home?” This was Mike Goldman, the narrator of Big Brother Australia during both its original Channel 10 run and its Channel 9 revival. With this line, the show declared its clear intention to return to its roots.
The new season aims to revive the series as it was in the early 2000s, when it became a pop culture phenomenon. It introduced audiences to memorable moments and personalities like Chrissie Swan, Sara-Marie’s bunny dance, the dancing doona, and the notorious turkey slap.
For a while, Big Brother dominated the cultural landscape. It gave viewers a nightly chance for sanctioned voyeurism and a window into how people act when unaware of cameras broadcasting them to the world.
“Are you ready to come home?”
Big Brother first launched in Australia in 2001, shortly after the format’s debut in the Netherlands. Its name references the oppressive figure in George Orwell’s novel 1984.