Reality TV - to what lengths will they go

By Katharine MacColl

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SO-CALLED reality TV is the big phenomen�that is now being played out on our screens, but where will it end

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Docu-soaps which projected 'ordinary' folk such as Maureen from Driving School and Jayne MacDonald of The Cruise onto stardom are long gone. These days, it's all about voyeuristic TV.

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In the past week, we have had the debut of not one, but three new series showing real people doing everything from surviving� in Bare Necessities, to seeking stardom� in Popstars,�to living in a jungle in Jungle Janes.

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You�can also watch fat people diet on South Devon's Burgh Island in GMTV's Inch Loss Island and you will soon be able to go as far as directing people's lives in Public Property.

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America's latest production is Temptation Island, where four couples are placed on a Caribbean Island with the men at one end and the women at another. Then comes a team of handsome hunks and beautiful babes who attempt to lead the contestants to be unfaithful. Critics argue it's tacky TV at its lowest; the producers say it's social experimentation.

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This modern mix of game-show entertainment and social experimenting goes a stage further with Channel 4's Boy Meets Girl. It's a mind-boggling gender-bending example of reality TV. The programme features a set of men and women who literally swap genders, right down to facial hair and high heels.

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But when is enough enough, and who are the 'stars' of these programmes What do you think WIll you be watching Express your views on The AnswerBank message boards now. Click here