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Dead Famous (novel)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Author | Ben Elton. |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Tony Stone |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Mystery |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Publication date | 2001 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 371 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-552-99945-8 |
Dead Famous 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 whodunit, Elton does not reveal the identity of the victim until around halfway into the book.
On a show called House Arrest - similar to Big Brother - 10 contestants are battling for the prize of £500,000. The contestants are Woggle, an anarchist; Kelly, a beautiful but dim shop assistant; Jason ("Jazz"), who aspires to become a TV comedian; Garry ("Gazzer"), a stereotypical lager lout; Moon, an exhibitionistic circus performer and topless model; Sally, a bodybuilding lesbian with a dark past; Hamish, an uninteresting doctor; Layla, a hippyish snob; Dervla, a quietly conniving Irish woman; and David, a vain actor.
Live on television, one of them is murdered. Despite cameras everywhere with millions of viewers watching 24-hour footage over the internet as well as the daily programme, the murderer is unknown. The detective in charge of the case - Inspector Coleridge - is unfamiliar with the genre of programme, and unimpressed with what he learns of it.
The book begins with the police reviewing old tapes of the programme. Their discussion does not make the identity of the victim clear to the reader for some time into the book, adding a layer of suspense where we do not know the culprit and the victim. The murder happens on Day 27, when the victim goes to the toilet and never returns. The inmates (as they are called in the book) accuse and suspect one another, especially when a note is found saying that one of the final three contestants will also be murdered. In the denouement, the Inspector must arrest the main culprit live on television, in front of millions of viewers world-wide.
Elton uses the book to mock reality shows, the people who make them, the people who go on them, and the people who watch them. The book is dedicated to the members of the first series of Big Brother shows in Australia and the UK.
