Latest news with #socialexperiment
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: Nathan Fielder's hilarious social experiment comedy returns
10pm, Sky ComedyEver wondered how many planes have crashed because the co-pilot was 'uncommunicative?' Nathan Fielder has – and it's the premise for series two of his mind-bending social experiment comedy, in which real people 'rehearse' in his simulated scenarios. He reconstructs a cockpit and an airport lounge, and even starts TV singing competition Wings of Voice. The blurred line between reality and construction creates something bizarre and uproariously funny. Strap in! Matthew Pearce 7pm, Channel 4In this one-off special, Jamie Oliver explores the cuisine of Georgia, soaking up inspiration from its colourful ingredients, techniques and traditions. He dives in to Tbilisi's herbaceous food markets and the rustic wine region, gets to know what the locals love, and understands how to well and truly eat like a Georgian. MP 9pm, BBC TwoJane Austen's sister burned their personal letters, meaning that history's most famous female writer is also the most enigmatic. But Helen Fielding, Candice Carty-Williams and other fans get inside Austen's mind in this docudrama series. It starts with Jane's first novel, Lady Susan, inspired by her cousin Eliza, and the observation that widowed women are free. Hollie Richardson 9pm, Sky Atlantic It is the season finale and we last saw Ellie (Bella Ramsey) about to get her bloody revenge on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Will she go through with it? And if so, can she pull it off? This season has been slowed down by Joel's absence and Ellie's endless guitar renditions – but maybe it will end on a thrilling note. HR 9pm, Sky WitnessA former child star with sobriety issues wakes up with a love bite and zero memory of the night before. Then she is accused of murder. Luckily, sleuth Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) is on hand to tackle the mystery, dressed up as Holly Golightly because all this wackiness unfolds over Halloween. Graeme Virtue 10pm, Channel 4As this experimental intimacy course nears its climax, episode five sees the group of virgins take lessons on how to achieve an orgasm. Some have never masturbated before, others have never had a kiss. Can the experts help them understand what it means to have sex? MP The Importance of Being Earnest (Anthony Asquith, 1952), 11.10pm, Talking Pictures TV Oscar Wilde's scintillating dialogue transfers well from stage to screen in Anthony Asquith's definitive 1952 version of his drawing-room comedy. Michael Redgrave and Michael Denison are the two young men whose romantic designs on Joan Greenwood and Dorothy Tutin's English roses lead them into a pseudonymous tangle. But, despite the comic skills of Greenwood and Margaret Rutherford as governess Miss Prism, it's Edith Evans's intimidating Lady Bracknell who rules the roost. 'A handbag?' will never sound the same again. Simon Wardell League One football, AFC Wimbledon v Walsall 2pm, Sky Sports Main Event. The play-off final at Wembley.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV show HANDCUFFS strangers together for £100,000 - how to take part
Jonathan Ross returns to Channel 4 to run this daring and ultimately heart-warming social experiment A famous phrase says 'hell is other people' – can eight pairs of strangers survive being handcuffed to one another for weeks? Will they learn to love one another? Channel 4 has commissioned Handcuffed from 72 Films, a Fremantle Company – takes eight pairs of strangers with completely opposed opinions, beliefs, lifestyles, and bad habits, and handcuffs them together 24/7 in the ultimate test of survival. The couples will be handcuffed together through thick and thin, as they navigate eating, dressing and even sleeping just inches apart. READ MORE: Shackled around the clock, the pairs will be sent on a road trip across our beautiful nation, in the hope they find common ground along the way. If a pair can last longest chained together, they'll be in the running for a £100,000 jackpot – but if it proves too much and they demand to be unchained, their shot at the jackpot is gone. Drawn from across the UK, the couples will represent the wide range of views and opinions found in modern Britain. Will the chance to win a huge cash prize drive them to stay together whatever, or will their massive differences lead them to quit? This timely experiment will be overseen by mastermind Jonathan Ross, who'll pair up the couples and guide them on their path to reconciliation. The series marks the host's return to Channel 4, having started his career presenting The Last Resort on the Channel in 1987. If you think you could survive being handcuffed to a stranger, in return for a possible share of the £100,000 prize fund, applications are open now. Jonathan Ross said: 'I believe this experiment will go a small way to healing a fractured Britain; after all, to know is to love. I'm rooting for our couples to go the distance and not let our differences overpower us.' Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor, says: 'Funny, intense, and featuring a cast reflecting a truly diverse range of British characters, this is the kind of social experiment you'd only see on Channel 4. The series aims capture modern Britain by examining its divisions and hopefully helping mend some of them too.' David Glover, Executive Producer, says: 'The show is designed to both to be funny and to have a surprising amount of heart. The winners will have to be able to put their differences aside and get along.' Handcuffed is a 6x60', commissioned by Tim Hancock for Channel 4. The Executive Producers for 72 Films are David Glover, Tim Whitwell and Tom Clarke, series editor Ben Allen and Production Exec Alex Nicholson.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Rehearsal: Nathan Fielder makes genius appointment TV … that may spoil you forever
Schopenhauer defined genius as someone who aims at a target the rest of us can't see. Which raises a philosophical paradox – how do we know they've hit it? I was moved to such musings while watching this week's pick, a singular piece of art that functions unlike anything else on TV, and calls the medium itself into question. No, it's not Police Interceptors. In The Rehearsal (Monday, 10pm, Sky Comedy), comedian Nathan Fielder blends documentary, social experiment, performance art and absurdist satire in a devised method all his own. He has ordinary people tackle emotionally fraught situations from their lives, by role-playing them with hired actors in meticulously recreated sets that mirror significant personal locations. It's arch, but the stakes are real. The first series opened with a man who wanted to apologise to his pub quiz teammates for cheating, before pivoting to a woman who wasn't sure whether she wanted to become a mother. Mamma mia! Here we go again – and this new series ups the ante. With undertones of Malcolm Gladwell, Fielder identifies that aviation disasters are mostly a result of communication awkwardness in the cockpit. Can he help first officers speak up when they notice pilot errors, and thereby stop people dying in plane crashes? Is comedy the right vehicle for this? Is that funny? Fielder sets out his stall, while stepping over a blood-covered actor who whispers 'Help' from a wreckage of twisted fuselage. Do you remember your first olive – the sensation of not being sure what you were eating? This is like that. The furrow the show ploughs is fantastically winding, and bone dry. Fielder's monotone narration is matched by his clownish, Beckettian imagination (and limitless HBO budget). In one experiment, a triplet of cloned dogs are trained to become more like their deceased donor. A compressor transports air across the country to recreate the atmosphere of a specific city. An airport is reconstructed, with 70 actors playing the public, flight crew and shop assistants. Fielder uses cranes and gargantuan puppets to experience the babyhood of heroic pilot Chesley Sullenberger in a Freudian scene of horrifying proportions. I won't spoil it here – but it may spoil you for ever. The visuals are part of what makes this appointment TV. In another strand, Fielder intervenes in the dating life of a shy first officer – enlisting a group of actors to surround and mimic him, to illustrate the theory that working in packs builds confidence. Fielder encourages one of these actors to pursue a romantic relationship with the subject. He then sets up a warehouse of rooms of actors recreating that relationship. When those simulated relationships turn sexual, he brings in the actors' real-life partners to observe from behind a monitor. He piles ethical grey areas on top of each other like problematic pancakes. Since Nathan for You in 2013, Fielder has warped the tracks of reality TV, pushing its artifice into surreal places. Controversy, too. He has been accused by participants of emotional manipulation. Which is the point. I don't know if the real subjects here are also actors, or if Fielder cares about aviation safety. The show could be a lampoon of gestalt therapy or the moral hypocrisy of television, or a fever dream arising from its creator's own anxieties. 'I've always thought sincerity was overrated,' reflects Fielder casually, the sort of thing you'd read in a Sartre novel. 'It just ends up punishing those who can't perform it as well as others.' I knew one genius in my life, many years ago. A man who, after a short while in anyone's company, saw through them like an X-ray. Without judgment, he was able to lay bare people's deepest insecurities and dreams, unpick their social persona and even predict their fantasies. Everyone hated him. They thought he was a witch. Likewise, The Rehearsal won't be to everyone's taste. I'm not even sure it's to mine. A self-cannibalising satire of television ethics might be too smart to be beloved. But you should watch it. Inscrutable, wilfully awkward, wayward, serious of purpose and a shaggy dog story, no one's doing it like Fielder.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A video of a woman using a transparent 'phone' went viral. But can it actually help curb your smartphone addiction?
Is that transparent 'phone' you've spotted on TikTok legit? It may be, in the future — but at the moment, it's just a piece of plastic designed to make us reflect on our relationship with our real phones. It all started in May, with a TikTok of a woman holding what appears to be a transparent phone while standing in line at a boba shop. But the video — which received millions of views and had people describing the phone as something out of Black Mirror or a sci-fi movie — didn't actually involve any real tech. Instead, it was part of a social experiment spurred by tech content creator Catherine Goetze — aka CatGPT — who appears in the video. It was all to create a buzz around the 'methaphone,' a piece of acrylic shaped like an iPhone. 'My friend is actually the inventor and creator of these and he told me that what he wanted to test was, if we're all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb somebody's addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same,' Goetze explained in a follow-up TikTok, which revealed the truth behind the acrylic 'phone.' She credited toymaker Eric Antonow with creating the methaphone on her website. On his website, Antonow explained that the toy's name, the 'methaphone,' is a nod to methadone, a substance used as a harm reduction tool in the treatment of morphine and heroin addiction. 'I include myself among people who do not like the current relationship with phones and their apps,' Antonow wrote. 'I wanted a device that would make you think. It is a mirror for your phone feelings. You turn it over in your hands and questions might start to arise. Woah, how can this thing have such power and presence in my life? What would it be like to carry it around with me all day?' Goetze's website now links to a form you can fill out if you want your own methaphone. In exchange, Goetze asks that people share feedback about their experiences using this piece of non-tech. 'We're all just individuals up against, what? The entirety of big tech?' Goetze asked in her TIkTok. 'I think that's why this little piece of acrylic feels so empowering. I mean, honestly, look, have I used my phone less in the past week that I've been carrying this around with me? Probably not. But just the idea that I could have something in my life — something I can touch and hold — and the conversation that this little guy is sparking online ... that's what really matters,' she said. People in Goetze's TikTok comments are skeptical that the methaphone would help people curb a smartphone habit. One wrote, 'I'm addicted to TikTok, not my phone.' Another added, 'Nobody is addicted to holding phones, they're addicted to the apps.' And a third noted that 'As an older millennial that would not work for me. I grew up when there were no cell phones, so I'm addicted to the access to information, not the idea of holding the phone.' Kostadin Kushlev, an assistant professor at Georgetown University who explores how technology affects happiness, told Yahoo News that there has not been enough research on objects like the methaphone to say definitively that it will or will not help people curb their smartphone habit. There is some precedent for the methaphone, however, Kushlev noted, in that some people who quit smoking may wean themselves off of cigarettes or vapes by choosing to use nicotine-free devices that have the same feel as their preferred smoking device. However, Kushlev added that there are many reasons why people are so attached to their devices, and it doesn't have to do with the physical object itself. 'We live in an attention economy, and our attention is very valuable in terms of selling ads — and ultimately, the platforms we use, like social media and gaming platforms, know how to hook people,' he explained. One way they do this is through 'variable reinforcement,' which is a concept that's similar to how slot machines work. Since you never know when you'll get a like or a comment, that unpredictability keeps you checking in and scrolling, in hopes you'll get a notification that triggers a hit of dopamine. That makes the behavior more addictive over time. And the ability to create engagement is 'the main metric by which these platforms judge success, and the main metric that can be measured,' he explained — meaning there's a major incentive from companies to keep your eyeballs on your phone. So while the methaphone may be an interesting conversation starter, it's likely not going to be the thing that helps you kick a smartphone habit for good.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Staggering number of Gen Z adults have never had sex – and expert blames OnlyFans as C4 launches Virgin Island
ONE in eight 26-year-olds is a virgin – but 12 are about to pop their cherries on prime-time TV. Virgin Island is Channel 4's bold new social experiment, following a group of twenty- something virgins as they undergo radical therapy to overcome their fears of intimacy. 14 The not-so-dirty dozen — unveiled for the first time today — cite body confidence issues, social anxiety and past trauma for stopping them from going all the way. But the programme's sexperts reckon there is a bigger factor at play — X-rated website OnlyFans. Celeste Hirschman, co-founder of the Somatic Institute in San Francisco, said: 'So many young folks are not trying things, connecting or dating. They're just on their computers. They get a little bit aroused and instead of trying to meet somebody, they go on OnlyFans. 'And so they don't really have those experiences of real-life relationships. 'There's nothing wrong with dabbling with things on the internet, but it's so much more fulfilling to be able to make those real connections.' The show takes the revolutionary step of pairing the virgins with qualified 'surrogate partners' who will, quite literally, deliver a hands-on experience. Known as 'sexological bodyworkers', they demonstrate how to be intimate and will go all the way if the participants so desire. Channel 4 executive Jonah Weston added: 'That whole surrogacy process is about working out how you can be with a human being in the real world rather than just objectifying somebody on the internet. 'It's just bringing it away from that online world, getting them in a place where they can be with each other and deal with people on an old- fashioned human basis.' The series is set on a tiny, Croatian island, with an array of cosy-looking love dens kitted out for each session. In the first episode alone, sexpert Danielle Harel snogs one of the virgins, delivery driver Zac, 28. EXCL Watch the moment Virgin Island stars demonstrate raunchy intimate act - leaving one Islander breaking down in tears Deeming him ready to skip talking therapy and get straight to the action, she snuggles on his lap and begins to nuzzle his neck. The lovelorn lad can't quite believe his luck — and viewers will be shocked at the graphic intimacy of the scene. A lot of them are very concerned about their appearance and how they match up, comparing themselves to other people in all sorts of ways — whether that be an influencer with their clothes on or porn stars on the internet Jonah But what is also surprising is how the show upends the stereotype of virgins being undesirable or frigid. As well as Zac, who is just like your average bloke down the pub, there is Emma, 23, who, in her denim hotpants and with long, blonde hair, wouldn't look out of place on Love Island. Accountant Dave, 24, has a trendy quiff hairstyle while brunette Louise, 22, could be mistaken for a model. Erotic breathing It backs up the research carried out by University College London, which tracked 16,000 millennials, and found that one in eight was still a virgin at 26 years old, compared with one in 20 in previous generations. Jonah said that idealised body images portrayed in pornography and on social media was a factor. He added: 'A lot of them are very concerned about their appearance and how they match up, comparing themselves to other people in all sorts of ways — whether that be an influencer with their clothes on or porn stars on the internet.' Enter experts Danielle and Celeste, who use the raunchy 'Somatica' approach, which actress Gwyneth, 52, advocated on her Goop lifestyle website. They use what they call 'body-based' practices — touching and feeling — to coach their clients on intimacy. Danielle said: 'I started actually as a talk therapist, and I got my Masters in clinical social work. 14 'But for me, with talking therapy, you just keep talking, and people don't really shift. 'I just realised how much power there is in experiential work, especially in the field of intimacy.' Celeste added: 'My Masters was in human sexuality studies, then I did some research on oral sex. 'When Danielle and I met for the show, we were like, 'Let's not do this the same old way'. We really need to bring in experiential work, because people try something, and once you try something it's much easier to go out and try it again.' In another scene that will have prime-time viewers clutching their pearls, Danielle invites surrogate partner Andre Lazarus to push her against a wall and demonstrate the intimacy of erotic breathing. It reduces terrified Emma to tears, while anxiety-stricken Jason, 25, has to sit down. Emma, who works in the food industry, would turn heads in any bar but feels like the 'DUFF — designated ugly fat friend' among her pals. The team hope to help her overcome her crippling insecurity. Admin worker Jason struggles to take things out of a work setting and instead spends time with Celeste honing his handshake and talking about his cats. But Zac, after his successful snog session with sexpert Danielle, is keen to take things further with his surrogate. Kat Slade invites him to stroke her arm and face, but he eagerly asks: 'Can we get to the next stage?' Some people needed more sexological body work, and some people needed surrogacy. So we had all of the different therapies available, depending on what they needed Celeste It is perhaps mind-boggling in today's duty-of-care-obsessed world that certified professionals are getting it on with their clients in the name of therapy. But Celeste argued: 'Some people need discussion about the practices like intimacy, touch, arousal, desire. 'Some people needed more sexological body work, and some people needed surrogacy. So we had all of the different therapies available, depending on what they needed.' 'Very excited' Virgin Island producer Robert Davis said: 'It's a TV first, and nobody really knows what's going to go on. Our biggest worry was how are they going to take to the therapy? Would they accept it? 'And was it going to be a success or were they going to run away? 'And what we got was a little bit of scepticism at first.' Highlighting the most compelling reason to stay the course, Danielle added: 'I think they wanted to lose their virginity! They came in very excited about that and were looking forward to the experience. 'So they're scared, but also wanting to get there. It was really important to have surrogates, who are highly trained professionals. 'It was great for them to have this option.' It is yet to be revealed whether the brave bunch leave the retreat having popped their cherries. But Danielle teased: 'It wasn't just that they were coming here to lose their virginity. 'Success took many forms. And there were different wins for different people. 'They all left with an absolute spring in their step.' The sexperts reckon viewers will also be educated by the guidance on Virgin Island. Danielle continued: 'Everyone can get something from this — new skills about sex and relationships.' Anyone up for a bit of sexological bodywork? Virgin Island begins on Monday at 9pm on Channel 4. ZAC, 28 Delivery driver 14 'THERE was a man on TV reporting that Channel 4 was looking for adult virgins for an experimental show. This was, of course, describing me! 'At first I was like, no way, but I started to think about it more and more, and realised that I wasn't really getting anywhere by myself. 'Time was just passing me by with no real positive change.' CHARLOTTE, 29 Care worker 'I WANTED to rid myself of my shame that I had surrounding my body, and my desire, and my ability to give myself pleasure. 'I did not want to be hindered in future relationships. 'I was trepidatious, and my family and friends, while supportive, weren't very approving because of how public it would all be.' PIA, 23 Digital marketing "I APPLIED to be on Virgin Island because of my struggles with vaginismus (where vaginal muscles involuntarily contract). I wanted to overcome the pain and anxiety I felt when exploring penetrative sex. 'Plus, I found intimacy incredibly overwhelming. Processing all of the intense emotions I felt was hard for me.' BEN, 30 Civil servant 14 SPEAKING about how he discovered the programme, Ben said: 'A friend sent me the casting call for Virgin Island on social media. 'I'm not sure if he knew I was a virgin, but he knew I'd struggled in this area. 'Funnily enough, my immediate response to his message was, 'not a chance'.' TAYLOR, 29 Receptionist 'I SPENT my whole adult life wondering why I found sexual things so difficult. 'When I was a teenager, the risks of sex seemed to far outweigh the benefits – the only benefit anyone spoke of was babies, and I wasn't ready for one. 'In my early twenties being a virgin was almost fetishised. I felt like everyone wanted to take it.' EMMA, 23 Food worker 14 'I WAS the only virgin in my friendship group, and I felt outnumbered. 'I believed I was the only adult experiencing life without intimacy, but I couldn't relax when there was the possibility of intimacy and I had to battle previous traumas. 'This show made me realise that being over 21 and a virgin was not as rare as I thought.' TOM, 23 Drama student 14 'I ALWAYS found myself to be a freak because I struggled to lose my virginity while others around me were popping their cherries. 'It severely affected my mental health, filling me with self-loathing. 'My love life was non-existent so when one of my friends sent me the application for Virgin Island, I leapt at the opportunity.' JASON, 25 Admin worker 14 'INTIMACY was non-existent for me and I decided to do something about it. Virgin Island was something out of my comfort zone, but a necessity. 'I am quite anti-social and the concept of being on an island with strangers was a nightmare, but it helped me improve my social skills – and, for that, I will be forever grateful.' DAVE, 24 Accountant 'AN initial joke by some friends for some cheap laughs slowly became the opportunity of a lifetime. I have always struggled to open up to people but this led me to feel invisible – a feeling I couldn't take any more. 'I wanted to do something drastic. It's also surprisingly quicker to get therapy from a Channel 4 TV show than from the NHS.' VIRAJ, 25 Personal trainer 14 'I HAD a massive struggle to express myself in front of women. It wasn't about intimacy, but more the confidence of talking to women and making small talk. 'My friends encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and go on the show. 'I felt extremely nervous knowing it would be on TV.' HOLLY, 23 Dog groomer 14 'I WAS at a point in my life where I was ready to be with someone, but I had anxiety and questions about myself that I felt I had to work through first. 'I was nervous not knowing what to expect and whether I was going to get anything out of it. 'The unknown was scary, but also exciting. I've never done anything like this before.' LOUISE, 22 Care advisor 'I NEVER really imagined applying for a show like Virgin Island but my friend sent me the application as a joke, and I thought, 'Why not?' I was willing to try anything. 'I had believed there must be something wrong with me. 'The fact that my friends would see the word 'virgin' and think of me says enough, to be honest.'
