Reality Mission Shows (RMS's)

Examples of Reality Mission Shows:

DIY SOS - example used above

Undercover Boss

Extreme Home Makeover

Grand Designs

Secret Millionaire

Cake Boss

60 Minute Makeover 
Don't Tell The Bride
Mad About the House
Storage hunters             

Format- What is it?

The Reality mission show genre is one that is quite close to a documentary however reaches a conclusion usually within one programme. They are normally released in series however each episode will follow the stories of different people, yet there may be reoccurring people such as the presenters - or in my examples case, the builders and interior designers. These types of shows are usually aired around tea time in the midweek and they are aired about once a week. They are also shown in their masses on channels such as W (previously known as watch) and other repeats channels such as Dave. This I believe is due to the fact there is no real tory to follow over the series and is easy to just watch one episode and get an idea of what is actually going on. The basic format to these types of show is in the beginning a problem or task is set, and then throughout the episode we watch as the events unfold that lead to the conclusion. Then at the end there is usually around a ten minute slot showing all that was achieved throughout the 'mission'. 

Appeals- Who watches it?

I believe that reality mission shows appeal to the mainstreamer in society as they are often shown in a series, and this offers them routine in when they watch this. An example of a reality mission show that is well established is Grand Designs. This programme - hosted by designer Kevin McCloud - has been shown from 1999 and has been a regular show on channel 4 ever since. This means that the show is well established and can become integrated into a routine which is something the mainstreamer would look for in their entertainment.

Target audience 

RMS's are usually aimed towards an audience of around 30-50 however over the past decade more and more of these style programs have made their way onto more alternative  channels such as BBC 3 and even CBBC. Shows like dont tell the brid are broadening the type of audience that may want to watch this style of TV show and the age range is now probably between 13-50 however they would cover a wide range of subject matter.

Opening sequence

Setting

Real life locations.

Technical Codes

Characters and representations

Narrative