Big Brother: PR Stunt or PR Disaster?

I've been a "big brother" fan since the programme was launched a couple of years ago, however due to a busy schedule, I must confess that i hadn't watched the current series of celebrity big brother until it started making the headlines this week.

My initial reaction? Well, isn't that what big brother is all about? Maximising controversy to boost their audience ratings? So like the many millions who hadn't tuned in until the alleged racism made headlines, I made a conscious decision, accepting to be manipulated by the programme producers' PR machine and decided to watch the programme on Tuesday night.

It was unpleasant viewing. The unprovoked outbursts and insults by Jade and what Jermaine Jackson referred to as "her allies" kept me glued to channel 4. I've since been following every twist and turn to the story.

Jade's eviction last night was watched by an estimated 7.8million people. Channel 4 and Endemol have succeeded in boosting their audience figures. People in India who may never have heard about the show now know about it - thanks to the controversy (the grapevine has it that Shilpa Shetty was included in the show to promote it in India). Politicians both in India and Britain many of whom claim to have never watched the programme, now have a vague idea about "big brother".

The programme has made almost every front page of every British national newspaper, including the Financial Times. It has made the lead story on almost every TV and radio outlet and my...the blogosphere? How much would the producers have paid for such enormous publicity?

So a good PR stunt perhaps, but was the negative publicity worth it? Why did the channel choose to remain adamant as the debate surrounding the programme exploded? I usually watch the edited highlights of the programme at 21.00hrs. The fact that the edited version was as provocative as it was, appeared to suggest that it was indeed a PR stunt.

It was not until the main sponsors of the show - the Carphone Warehouse decided to pull the plug that the channel or producers reconsidered their earlier stance - attempting to deny that there was anything wrong with Jade's attitude.

Carphone warehouse arguably took advantage of the furore and gained free coverage that would otherwise have cost the company millions in advertising.

Now as if to limit the damage, big brother appears to have broken his own rules by first; tipping the housemates about what's happening in the outside world. Jade's behaviour in her final hours in the house appeared to have changed dramatically. She didn't appear surprised that she was met by Presenter Davina McCall and just the production crew- without the traditional live crowd. She was apologetic and denied being racist.

And now Channel four faces accusations that the eviction itself was stage managed. Why did they deny the live audience the chance to "handle" Jade? Why did they deny the press the opportunity to speak to Jade as demanded by big brother tradition? Why did Jade say that she knew why she was leaving? Why did she apologise to Shilpa? Why did Shilpa suddenly retract her comments that she thought that the "allies" attitude towards her amounted to racism? And now it has emerged that the show was not even as "live" as we were made to believe. Could some juicy bits have been edited out?

Whatever the case, the producers have been forced to donate the proceeds from last night's telephone eviction vote to charity. Some have described the whole saga as a PR stunt. Others prefer to refer to it as a PR disaster. How would you describe it?