Dead Famous - Ben Elton

Some time ago I read Ben Elton's "Dead Famous" in just two days. I hated it. The problem probably stems from the fact that I am quite interested in reality tv and do hold some respect for the genre, trashy as it is in many ways. However, right from the start I was having problems with the novel. The characters were over the top characatures, sure, I don't have much of an issue with that. However, I think the novel could have been far better crafted. ...
...by the characters, emphasising the trite and the gushing, however this is carried across all of the characters, all ten inmates. Where's the variety? Despite skirting around the edges of what it's actually parodying in names (Big Brother as a show name is replaced with House Arrest, Big Brother as the overseeing presence is replaced with Peeping Tom) the parallels are so utterly obvious in terms of the rules and the format that the actual show being ...

hawkida 19.02.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

I've just finished reading 'Dead Famous' by Ben Elton. I've never read one of his books before, so didn't really know what to expect. I only bought the book really, as I've enjoyed watching the past 3 series of 'Big Brother'. Read on..... The book is based on the hit show 'Big Brother'. The book was written with the help of the first two Big Brother UK contestants, and the Australian BB. This particular house is, however, called 'House Arrest'. ...
...apparent throughout the book. House Arrest consists of 10 contestants, all of which are very different people. Some, you may think, even strange! At the beginning of the book is a short run-down of the contestants. They are: ~ David - Actor - Aries ~ Jazz - Trainee Chef - Leo ~ Kelly - Sales Consultant - Libra ~ Sally - Female Bouncer - Aries ~ Garry - Van Driver - Cancer ~ Moon - Circus Trapeze artiste and occasional Lap Dancer - Capricorn ...

Louise90 02.11.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

It would be an understatement to say that this is a send up of Big Brother and the rest of the reality TV phenomena. The one big difference between this book and the real thing though is the fact that this is compulsive reading whilst I would hardly describe Big Brother as compulsive viewing. Ever since I saw Ben Elton perform live in Birmingham during my student days I have been a bit of a fan even if some of has recent material has seemed a bit ...
...a talented comedy writer with a string of credits both in the world of TV, theatre and fiction writing. The Plot The clever part of this book is that it is not only a murder mystery in that you want to know who did it and how but also for the first half of the book you want to know actually who has been murdered. At the start of the book you are introduced to the ten contestants in House Arrest and also Inspector Coleridge the man charged with ...

atticusuk 17.04.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

Nominations, eviction, nomination, murder. This is the shocking chain of events that makes this series of "House Arrest" the most lucrative and popular yet. Much to Detective Inspector Coleridge's disgust the show goes on regardless and to make matters worse every one of the housemates has a motive. But first the Detective must figure out how somebody can murder someone in the full view of millions and yet leave no trace of their crime? "Dead Famous" ...
...Elton incorporates elements of thriller, drama and humour into his parallel world of reality television. Obviously drawing on the many series of Big Brother as his inspiration, Elton creates the ultimate in reality television shows in the form of "House Arrest". With a full complement of housemates from the anarchist to the token lesbian what Elton has created is a scathing attack on the reality TV phenomenon in the form of a traditional whodunit. ...

Shortsharpshock 28.08.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

It can only be a matter of time before reality TV is crossed with a murder mystery weekend, and we spend several days or weeks trying to work out whodunnit ...and how. Ben Elton was quick to see the potential of having a Big Brother contestant bumped off (although not as quick as the producers of Diagnosis Murder were.) I was looking forward to reading this book - well, I'm a sucker for a good locked room mystery, and Jonathan Creek seems to have ...
...over from Caroline Quentin as his sidekick. Mind you, who can blame him? But I digress... "One House. Ten Contestants. Thirty cameras. Forty microphones. One Survivor." That's the slogan a TV production company called Peeping Tom give to their show House Arrest. The "one survivor" bit starts to look grotesquely inappropriate when one of the inmates is bumped off while on the loo. A modern twist on those old-fashioned bog-standard whodunnits, decorated ...

PJE_ 24.05.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

I am a fan of Ben Elton's works and enjoyed this novel, and found it difficult to put down. However, there are obviously pros and cons. The first thing to get over is Ben Elton's satirical and potentially offensive writing style. If you are put off by over-use of expletives, or over familiar mention of sex toys and homosexual activity, then this is not a book for you. If you can read about these things indifferent to the rest of the content however, ...
...Not only clever because you don't know who done it, not only fun to read as it all makes sense, but clever in the narrational timescale. Set around a Reality TV show, all dates are in terms of 'Day 32 in the house' or 'Day 4' in the house-all relative to the show itself. To an example. We begin by learning a murder occured on day 27. We then join the police team at the station on Day 30 viewing tapes. The tapes are of Day 1. Then we join the team ...

Egdelwonk 05.09.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

...time to review the book Dead Famous by Ben Elton. The book that you will love, whether you adore or abhor Big Brother. It will certainly give you a few ideas to chew over. ******************* Of course, Ben Elton’s fictional version isn’t quite exact. We have a TV show called House Arrest, for starters. There are ten housemates, some of whom bear more than a passing resemblance to stars of BB1 and BB2 in the UK. (Elton also credits the ...
...Big Brother but some of Dead Famous made for uncomfortable reading. One of the main themes is the cameramen behind the mirrors in the house and their motivation for doing the job. Watching BB3 this week, I have physically winced at witnessing yet another close-up of a cleavage or someone adjusting their knickers. It does make you think and reassess things slightly. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. It is easy to get into and becomes ...

KarenUK 15.06.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

For his seventh novel, Dead Famous, Ben Elton’s satirical writing turns toward reality television. Overtly based on the popular reality show of Big Brother, Elton sets his novel on the set of Peeping Tom where ten contestants are voluntarily filmed 24 hours a day for a chance to win fame and fortune. Although the publishers issue the statement that “All the characters in the book are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead ...
...who has watched Big Brother would clearly recognise) caricatures / amalgams of the real-life contestants who have taken part in the Big Brother show over the years. Elton even goes as far as dedicating the book to the contestants of the first two UK and the first Australian shows. The association with these characters, liked or disliked, is mainly what makes the novel funny and slightly nostalgic. The plot centers around a seemingly impossible whodunit ...

MAFARRIMOND 20.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

...I have just finished reading Dead Famous by Ben Elton, a book based on ‘reality TV’ and, in particular, Big Brother. The book is based around a TV show called ‘House Arrest’ – 10 people shut up in a house for 9 weeks, weekly tasks and evictions. Sound familiar? Not surprisingly, Ben Elton has credited the contestants from the first two series of Big Brother as well as those from the Australian version – as he says ...
...So, we have 10 wannabes from different walks of life thrown together for 24 hours a day and under constant surveillance from the cameras. As you would expect, they are a fairly eclectic mix – a couple of typical ‘blokes’, the wannabe actor, the peace-loving hippie, the exotic dancer and the token lesbian among others. Without going into all the characters in too much detail, lets just say if you have watched BB in the past you will ...

jools30 22.11.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

Ben Elton’s ‘Dead Famous’ is a modern day whodunit and is a number 1 best seller. The book opens with a police officer (Coleridge) investigating a murder that has occurred. The murder took place in the peeping tom house; (a parody of the reality television show; ‘big brother’) 'a sealed environment; every inch covered by television cameras and microphones; the murder being witnessed by all the camera men and 47 million viewers via live television'. ...
...the killer left; to commit the murder and; they were still there: when the murderer returned shortly after. Yet somehow the murderer had managed to outwit everyone and kept their anonymity. Coleridge and his team: have to painstakingly watch all the footage of the reality game show; peeping tom. A programme he despises and holds in contempt; to search for clues as to who the murderer is. I found this book gripping and engaging throughout; it was ...

L0BSTER_QUADRILLE 06.09.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

...Dead Famous is primarily about a TV show named House Arrest, which is essentially Big Brother. The twist being that one of the house mates happens to get murdered and the story unfolds as several investigators watch the series from start to finish in order to solve the mystery. There is no question that there is a certain amount of originality built into this novel. Each chapter is referred to as a day, which pleasantly emerses the reader in with ...
...the tv show, and those working for the police, these are clearly distinguished so there is no confusion. There are no real flaws with Elton's characterisation as the novel progresses. Each character has its own unique and distinguished personality that are truly realistic and believable. Those on the TV show tend to be generally unlikable and highly irritating, which leads me to believe that Elton is not a fan of reality TV, which instanty appealed ...

salmonf1 04.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

I read dead famous a while back and I really enjoyed it. I read it whilst on holiday and it was one of the best modern books I have read. This is Ben Elton’s Dead Famous: ---The Plot--- The basic concept of this story is based on the hit TV show big brother. This version is called house arrest due to copyright etc. The clue to Dead Famous is in the name. It is a murder story where you can try to figure out who committed it. The murder happens ...
...more about the characters and their past lives thus showing us motives for murder. At first the plot is normal with them living in the house and getting on fine. People get evicted and the story unfolds. We hear of the different things happening in the house, which could provide a reason for murder. An example of this is a man named David. He starred in a porn film with another contestant. He wants to become famous and he is afraid she will ruin ...

jonty68 25.05.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

Dead Famous is the No 1 best seller from Ben Elton who has a number of books to his name as well as numerous tv credits including The Thin Blue Line, Blackadder and The Young Ones. Published in 2001 amidst Big Brother fever, Dead Famous is a murder mystery with a twist. How can someone be murdered in a house full of cameras and microphones and where nobody can get in and out without being seen?? I have recently finished reading the book for the ...
...Brother. The Plot: Dead Famous follows ten contestants in House Arrest - basically a Big Brother set up where "ordinary" people are sent to live together in a house for 10 weeks while the nation watches their every move via live television. However....someone gets murdered and it is up to Inspector Coleridge (puts me a little in mind of Inspector Morse mixed with traits of the Thin Blue Line characters) to solve the murder. You would think this ...

EmBe 10.08.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

I recently read this book having heard about it from someone at uni. It is very cleverly put together with it being sub divided into days rather than chapters, but this is where the bad point also lies. The book quite frequently jumps from the future back to the start (Day 1), as they are watching videos of the programme. This sometimes makes it very confusing to read as you can't tell weather it happened in the past or has just happened. Other than that it is a great book and fans of Big Brother will enjoy it even though it is making a digg at the series. ...

gdaisyp 14.08.2007
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton

...shots, as well as the producers unwavering aim to edit footage etc. it made me feel duped by enjoying big brother in a lot of ways. nevertheless, dead famous is brilliant at encapturing a phenmomenen of our generation, and exposing it for what it is.. not much really! ...

eesha 23.08.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Dead Famous - Ben Elton