Does anyone understand Survivor

A.� The new ITV programme is about 16 men and women who have been cast away on a desert island off the coast of Borneo and made to fend for themselves until one emerges triumphant from the test. The winning contestant will pick up a cool �1 million in the process. Billed as the ultimate reality show, the �9 million programme - which has already been recorded - runs for eight weeks, four times a week on ITV.

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Q.� What challenges�do the contestants face

A.� The contestant who manages to survive the physical hardship of island life - where the challenges include eating maggots - and proves the most popular with fellow contestants will walk away with the prize. The conditions include coping with stingrays, sharks and deadly snakes in the waters around the island in extremely warm temperatures.

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Q.��Does anyone know the�identity of the winner

A.� The only person who knows his or her identity is the show's producer, Nigel Lythgoe, familiar to millions as the man behind ITV's Popstars. The first person to leave the island was salesman Nick Carter who tried to manipulate the voting to ensure he was not voted off the island paradise. His plan backfired and he left the island.

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Q.� Why is the particular genre of TV so popular at the moment

A.� ITV is hoping the show will attract at least 15 million viewers, building up to a dramatic climax in eight weeks time when the winner is announced in a live studio show. Reality TV is the latest audience -winning fad since docu-soaps. Viewers have developed a taste for watching ordinary people in unusual situations. The contrived scenarios of Big Brother and Survivor focus on people's reactions in the most unlikley circumstances, and give the viewer the opportunity for a bit of voyeurism.

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Q.� Has Survivor been shown in other countries

A.� Survivor has been a huge success for the CBS channel in the United States. It has an awesome reputation as a show elsewhere as well: in fact, one of the contestants of the equivalent Swedish show committed suicide after it was all over.

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By Katharine MacColl