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There are two phenomena that regularly grace the front pages of the tabloids: a fear of a compensation culture, brought about by the introduction of the no win, no fee claim system, and reality television, brought about by a morbid fascination with people watching. But have you ever thought about these two subjects combined, that is the effect reality TV such as Big Brother could have on no win, no fee compensation claim rates?
No win, no hassle
First let's look at no win, no fee. This is the colloquial term used for the conditional fee agreement which means that a claimant is not held responsible for their personal injury solicitor's fees in the event that they do not win their case. This was introduced after legal aid available to those making personal injury claims was abolished in 2000, making it a much fairer system. Legal aid was means tested whereas now anyone is entitled to make a no win, no fee claim regardless of how much they earn.
However, the ease with which people may now pursue personal injury compensation, as they do not have to worry about the cost of fees, has lead to concern that we are living in a compensation culture.
There are of course arguments for and against this accusation but as a spokesperson from YouClaim has commented, "The introduction of a no win, no fee system doesn't necessarily mean that more undeserved, fraudulent claims are being sought. What it does mean is that the new process is easier for those people who are entitled to compensation and need it to rebuild their lives after sustaining life-altering personal injuries.
Big bother
Now let's look at reality TV. This obsession probably began with the introduction of fly on the wall documentaries and went from strength to strength after the first series of Big Brother was aired in the UK during 2000. Since then a number of reality TV programmes have followed in its wake from Shipwrecked and Celebrity Love Island to Wife Swap and X-Factor. But with these types of programmes comes a certain responsibility.
The supposed racist comments made by Jade Goody and co in 2007's Celebrity Big Brother showed just how influential the show can be. Complaints of bullying made towards Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty were lodged which lead to widespread anger and demonstrations were held in India. Carphone Warehouse even suspended their sponsorship of Big Brother for fear of losing sales through association with the show.
The target audience for most reality TV shows is 16-25, an age group which is very susceptible to influences such as peer pressure. Therefore, irresponsible onscreen behaviour could lead to viewers following suit and hurting themselves. Big Brother often shows housemates carrying out tasks that will make them look ridiculous for entertainment value and those desperate for fame will do almost anything to guarantee their five minutes but producers have to take special care that viewers don't copy behaviour and end up making no win, no fee claims against them.
Housemates are often rewarded with treats such as alcohol which can also be a recipe for disaster in such as a small environment. Alcohol can invoke paranoia which, added to the pressure of being on camera 24 hours a day, could easily encourage violence.
There have been several heated discussions take place in the Big Brother house this year, most of which involved one of the show's most irritating and provocative contestants to date, self-professed South London It Girl, Charley. She continuously sidled right up to other housemates, yelling in their faces and during one feud she chucked water in fellow contestant Gerry's face. This could have easily escalated and ended in tears and personal injury claims made by housemates against the production company for placing them in danger.
So, two national obsessions that originated in 2000 and grew thanks to huge media coverage could very well be linked together if television producers aren't a little more cautious. While locking a bunch of hormonal, competitive fame-seekers in a small house makes for some pretty comical car crash-TV it could lead to an onslaught of expensive no win, no fee claims.
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