Dead Famous (novel)

Last updated

Dead Famous
Deadfamous.jpg
First edition
Author Ben Elton
Cover artistTony Stone
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Mystery, Comedy
Publisher Bantam Press [1]
Publication date
2001
Media typePaperback
Pages384
ISBN 0-552-99945-8
OCLC 49394943
Preceded by Inconceivable (1999)  
Followed by High Society (2002)  

Dead Famous (2001) is a comedy/whodunit novel by Ben Elton in which ratings for a reality TV show, very similar to Big Brother , rocket when a housemate is murdered. Unlike a typical whodunnit, Elton does not reveal the identity of the victim until around halfway into the book.

Contents

Plot

The novel is about a murder that occurs on a reality television programme called House Arrest, which is very similar to the program Big Brother, and the efforts of three police officers to identify the killer by watching all the video recordings of the ten housemates while the remaining housemates continue the reality television show. The novel jumps back and forth in time to show the events in the live video recordings, leading up to the night of the murder, where the remaining eight housemates at the time had to remain in an Indian sweat boxan old-style sauna with a pitch-black interior, the intention being to prompt the housemates to have sex. The victim left the box to go to the toilet and the killer apparently left the box wrapped in a sheet to conceal his or her identity and stabbed the victim twice in the neck and head.

Later, a note is found in an envelope that had been sealed weeks previously that says that the victim will be dead by the time the housemates read the note and that one of the three remaining housemates will be murdered. The police have to catch the killer before he or she strikes again.

The killer is revealed on the final night of the show to be the show's producer, who had set up the murder to attract increased ratings for the show, faking the video footage of the killer leaving the sweat-box with the aid of her deputy producer; Detective Coleridge, an amateur actor, provokes a confession by creating fake video evidence of the producer's rehearsal murders.

Characters

The housemates:

The television crew:

The police:

Allusions and references

Allusions to other works

Elton makes references in this novel to both Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth.

David, the actor, has the first four lines of Hamlet's soliloquy "To be, or not to be" tattooed around his ankle. This allows both Kelly and the police officers to identify him as a porn star who starred in a movie in which Kelly was an extra. This threatens his reputation, as he wishes to become a serious actor again.

Inspector Coleridge belongs to an amateur dramatics society that is starting rehearsals for a performance of Macbeth, one of Coleridge's favourite plays. He desperately wishes to play the lead, but the director wants someone younger to play the lead part. Coleridge's success in solving the murder wins him the part. The idea of Banquo's ghost is Coleridge's method of forcing a confession out of the murderer.

Allusions to actual history, geography and current science

The novel is dedicated to the contestants of the first Big Brother series in the UK, the second Big Brother series in the UK and the first Big Brother series in Australia. The book parodies the cult of celebrity brought on by simply being on television and says in the credits that "without [the Big Brother contestants] this novel would not have been written".

Publication history

Related Research Articles

<i>Scare Tactics</i> American TV series or program

Scare Tactics is an American comedy horror hidden camera television show, produced by Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginning July 9, 2008. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty. Stephen Baldwin took her place in the middle of the second season. At the beginning of the third season, the show was hosted by Tracy Morgan. The fourth season began on October 6, 2009. On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Blumhouse Television was going to produce a new season of the show.

Helen Margaret Lederer is a British comedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s. Among her television credits are the BBC2 sketch series Naked Video and BBC One's Absolutely Fabulous, in which she played the role of Catriona.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Australian season 5) Season of television series

Big Brother Australia 2005, also known as Big Brother 5, was the fifth season of the Australian reality television series Big Brother, and was aired on Network Ten in Australia, and TV-2 in New Zealand with a four-week delay. The series started on 8 May 2005, with housemates going into the House the day before, and finished on 15 August 2005, lasting 101 days. The theme for this season was "single, sexy and competitive". Auditions for housemates were held in March 2005. In a departure from usual procedure, candidates were not required to send in videos of themselves as had been the case for prior auditions. Instead, the producers toured major Australian cities and conducted interviews. They searched for sexy singles that were willing to have sexual relations on camera. Promos for the show suggested that Big Brother would be different this year, and phrases such as "Assume Nothing, Expect Anything", "Let's Play" and "Think Again" were used throughout the series, especially during Opening Night. The winner announced on the finale that was watched by 2.282 million Australian viewers.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Czech TV series) Czech TV series or program

Big Brother, also known as Velký Bratr in Czech, is a reality competition television series broadcast in the Czech Republic by TV Nova in 2005. The Czech version is based on the popular Dutch Big Brother international television franchise, produced by Endemol, where a number of contestants live in an isolated house for a certain period of time. At all times, housemates are under the control of Big Brother, a rule-enforcing authority figure who monitors the behaviour of the housemates, sets tasks and punishments, and provides the only link to the outside world for the contestants.

<i>Rehearsal for Murder</i> 1982 American TV series or program

Rehearsal for Murder is an American murder mystery television film starring Robert Preston and Lynn Redgrave, and directed by David Greene. The script, written by Richard Levinson and William Link, won a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. It originally aired on the CBS Television Network on May 26, 1982.

<i>Big Brother</i> (German TV series) German TV series or program

Big Brother is the German version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol in 1997. Following the premise of other versions of the format, the show followed a number of contestants, known as housemates, who are isolated from the outside world for an extended period of time in a custom-built house. Each week, one of the housemates is evicted by a public vote, with the last housemate remaining winning a cash prize.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Belgian TV series) Belgian TV series or program

Big Brother is the Belgian version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother produced by Endemol. The show aired in Flemish Region of Belgium on Kanaal Twee and has had a total of nine seasons. There have been six regular seasons, two celebrity seasons and one all-stars season. The first season of the show aired in 2000.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Greek TV series) Greek TV series or program

Big Brother Greece is the Greek version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol in 1997. The show premiered on 10 September 2001 on ANT1, the show followed a number of contestants, known as housemates, who are isolated from the outside world for an extended period of time in a custom-built house. Each week, one of the housemates is evicted by a public vote, with the last housemate remaining winning a cash prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Knox</span> British actor (1989-2008)

Robert Arthur Knox was an English actor who portrayed the character of Marcus Belby in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and had signed to appear in its sequel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

<i>Big Brother</i> (Israeli TV series) TV series or program

Big Brother is the Israeli version of the international reality television franchise Big Brother created by producer John de Mol in 1997. The show began broadcasting in 2008, following the premise of other versions of the format, the show features a group of contestants, known as "Housemates" who live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world. The housemates are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the competition, housemates are evicted from the house. The last remaining Housemate wins the competition and is awarded a cash prize.

<i>Big Brother</i> (British series 15) Season of television series

Big Brother 2014, also known as Big Brother 15 and Big Brother: Power Trip, was the fifteenth series of the British reality television series Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. It began on 5 June 2014 on Channel 5 and lasted for 72 days ending on 15 August 2014, making it the longest series to air on Channel 5. It was the fourth regular series and the tenth series of Big Brother overall to air on the channel. The series was officially confirmed on 3 April 2012 when Channel 5 renewed the show until 2014. It was therefore the final regular series to be included under the then contract.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 14) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 14 was the fourteenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother. The series launched on 18 August 2014 on Channel 5 and ended after 26 days on 12 September. It was the seventh celebrity series and the eleventh series of Big Brother overall to air on the channel. Emma Willis hosted the series, whilst Rylan Clark presented the spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side along with Iain Lee, Willis and regular panelist Luisa Zissman.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 16) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 16, also known as Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs USA, was the sixteenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 27 August 2015 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland, and ended after 29 days on 24 September 2015. It is the ninth celebrity series and the fourteenth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5. It was the only celebrity series to credit Denis O'Connor as creative director.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 17) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 17 was the seventeenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 5 January 2016 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and TV3 in the Republic of Ireland, and concluded 32 days later on 5 February 2016, making it the longest celebrity series to date, along with Celebrity Big Brother 19 and Celebrity Big Brother 21. It was the tenth celebrity series and the fifteenth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5. First details of the series were released on 7 December 2015 when the new eye was released, and a new "vaudeville theatre" theme also being confirmed.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 18) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 18 was the eighteenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 28 July 2016, just two days after the conclusion of Big Brother 17 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland. The series ended on 26 August 2016, making it the longest summer series to date and the third-longest series of Celebrity Big Brother in its history, behind series 15 and 17, respectively. Rylan Clark-Neal continues to present the spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side. It is the eleventh celebrity series and the seventeenth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5.

Stephen Henry Bear is an English former television personality and convicted sex offender. After appearing as a contestant on the E4 reality series Shipwrecked in 2011, he went on to appear on the MTV reality show Ex on the Beach, as a cast member in the third and fifth series respectively. He won the eighteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, and subsequently went on to appear in various other shows including Celebs Go Dating and Just Tattoo of Us, as well as three series of The Challenge. In March 2023, Bear was jailed for disclosing private, sexual photographs and films of his former girlfriend, with intent to cause distress.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 19) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 19, also known as Celebrity Big Brother: All-Stars vs. New Stars, was the nineteenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 3 January 2017 and concluded after 32 days on 3 February 2017, making it the joint longest celebrity series to date along with Celebrity Big Brother 17. The series was shown on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and 3e in Ireland. Rylan Clark-Neal continued to present the spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side. It was the twelfth celebrity series and eighteenth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 20) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 20 was the twentieth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 1 August 2017, and concluded on 25 August 2017 after 25 days, making this the shortest series since Celebrity Big Brother 12 in 2013. The series was on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and 3e in Ireland with the spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side presented by Rylan Clark-Neal. It was the thirteenth celebrity series and twentieth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5.

<i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> (British series 21) Season of television series

Celebrity Big Brother 21, also known as Celebrity Big Brother: Year of the Woman, was the twenty-first series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother. It launched on 2 January 2018 on Channel 5, and concluded on 2 February 2018 after 32 days, making it the joint longest series to date. It is the fourteenth celebrity series and the twenty-first series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5. Emma Willis returned to host the series, while Rylan Clark-Neal continued to present Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side.

<i>Bigg Boss</i> (Tamil season 6) Indian reality show season

Bigg Boss 6 was the sixth season of the Tamil version of the Indian reality television series Bigg Boss based on the Dutch series Big Brother and produced by Endemol Shine India. The show launched on 9 October 2022 on Star Vijay along with a 24/7 Live stream on Disney+ Hotstar. Kamal Haasan has officially once again been appointed as the host for the sixth time. Once again, Nippon Paint sponsored the sixth season.

References