Adapted by Netherlands production company Endemol from its already notorious Dutch hit, Big Brother was a grand social experiment repurposed for prime time.
And, when Celebrity Big Brother came along in 2001 (Jack Dee the first winner), the vaguely famous jumped at the opportunity to humiliate themselves too.
If The Office made us glance away in embarrassment, David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s two-hander had audiences doubled over wincing.
The audience spanned continents and, at its peak, the franchise was worth an estimated £50 million annually to the Corporation.