Princess Nikki
Encyclopedia
Princess Nikki is a reality television
show that stars former Big Brother 7 UK
house mate, Nikki Grahame
. It ran on Wednesday nights between 10:00 - 10:30pm on the digital and satellite television channel E4
from 6 September 2006, for a total runtime of 30 minutes. The show was devised by Endemol
, the company that also devised Big Brother
. It was narrated by the presenter
and comedian
, Alex Zane
.
The format saw Nikki attempt several jobs on each show, which included various unpleasant tasks such as rubbish collecting, deep sea fishing, and waste management. The show's premise was to see whether or not Nikki would perform the tasks given to her and keep her job for a day, or whether she would quit or be sacked due to her infamous tantrum
s. The concept of the show was taken from one of the tasks Nikki undertook while in the Big Brother House. During the task, she was assigned as Big Brother's personal assistant
and had to carry out various duties, which often resulted in Nikki throwing a tantrum and refusing to comply. The show was often compared to The Simple Life
.
The theme music for the programme has been adapted from the 1982 hit single Hey Mickey!
by Toni Basil
, with the lyrics "Hey Nikki!" used as a replacement.
Contrary to rumors, no second season is planned. Creative director Philip Edgar-Jones confirmed the series is finished in an interview with Brother's Bar.http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/weekendspecials/edgarjones.htm
catching and gutting fish, and then returned to land to work in a fish and chips shop
in nearby Folkestone
. At the end of the show, her employers commented on her performance, enthusiasm, etc. The person who worked on the fishing boat praised Nikki for not leaving, but complained that she didn't actually do any work. Her fish and chips shop
employer seemed to show obvious dislike for Nikki by calling her a Diva
, a child, and stroppy (and suggesting she not be given any jobs that require thinking). This episode was watched by 530,001 individuals on average.
in Gloucestershire
to assist as a farm hand. Her duties included cleaning a pig
pen, tending the farm animals, and performing a rectal examination on a pregnant cow, which she screamed at and refused to do after the animal farted in her face. She later went to assist a butcher
where she made sausage
s, and visited the shop's abattoir
. Once again, Nikki failed to make a good impression on her employers with Andrew Fuller commenting that the only way he would employ Nikki is if she paid him. This episode had an overnight rating of 308,700 viewers.
. After two hours of working the streets, Nikki managed to lift only five bags of garbage. Nikki was then sent to assist a colon hydro therapist, to perform a colonic irrigation on one of her customers. Nikki didn't act very professionally and burst into laughter several times during the therapy. She was eventually asked to leave. Nikki's final job of the day was to work at a sewage
works in Chelmsford
, where she was forced to scrape old tampons, human excrement and condom
s off a huge sewage plant roller. Again, Nikki failed to impress her employers with one of the binmen exclaiming "She’s on Anne Robinson
tonight! She’s the fucking weakest link.
" This episode was watched by 343,001 individuals on average.
s, but threw a tantrum when dog hair went up her nose, and then refused to finish her tasks. She later went to work as a zoo keeper
at Bristol Zoo
. Here she cleaned an Okapi
pen, handled rat
s, and dressed as a seal
in order to coax visitors to attend the seal feeding. Nikki managed to infuriate her bosses at the zoo by screaming loudly on several occasions. She was eventually prohibited from working with the animals as her screaming was deemed to be too upsetting for the animals, and she was removed." This episode had an overnight rating of 179,001 viewers.
to help a mountain rescue team "rescue" a woman who had broken her leg (it was an actress for training purposes). She threw a tantrum when climbing out of the boat to shore as the leader of the team shoved her for her petulance. Nikki was more concerned about getting a tissue to blow her nose than helping the woman in distress. She then abseiled down the side of a small cliff, which she said was the activity she had enjoyed most in the series to date. Nikki was then coached in surviving outdoors by survival expert, Chris Caine. He showed her how to build a simple outdoor home made of trees and branches, how to dig a hole in the ground for a toilet, and how to fish. The instructor was easily annoyed by Nikki's behaviour, leading to the usual tantrums and arguments from her. This episode had an overnight rating of 236,000 viewers.
with the women. It started off well enough, but then the team was instructed to roll around on the cold damp grass
; she didn't. She saw one player go into a large container of iced water, in order to cool her muscles after the strenuous exercise. Eventually, the others dunked her into the bath, which Nikki didn't appreciate (describing the rugby players as "butch"). Her final assignment was to assist some environmental health contractors in cleaning a filthy, vermin-ridden house. Here she was made to remove maggot
s and cockroach
es from the house, before cleaning a bath full of festering sewage
. Nikki spent most of her time screaming and crying, although she did eventually manage to complete the tasks given to her.
At the end of the episode, Nikki was asked to summarise and reflect on her employment experiences, commenting: "I thought, when I got this series, that I would get nice jobs that would help me learn how to do a working day...but it's been ghastly."
This episode had an overnight rating of 167,100 viewers .
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show that stars former Big Brother 7 UK
Big Brother (UK series 7)
Big Brother 7 in 2006 was the seventh series of the United Kingdom reality television series Big Brother. It aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, from 18 May 2006 to 18 August 2006, a total of 93 days; fifteen days longer than the previous series....
house mate, Nikki Grahame
Nikki Grahame
Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame is an English model, columnist and television personality, who rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a housemate on Big Brother 7 in 2006...
. It ran on Wednesday nights between 10:00 - 10:30pm on the digital and satellite television channel E4
E4 (TV)
E4 is a channel on British digital television, launched as a pay-TV companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. The "E" stands for entertainment, and the channel is mainly aimed at the lucrative 15–35 age group...
from 6 September 2006, for a total runtime of 30 minutes. The show was devised by Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
, the company that also devised Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
. It was narrated by the presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, Alex Zane
Alex Zane
Alex Zane is an English television presenter and DJ.-Background:Zane was born in Leeds and attended Boston Spa School before going on to study Medicine at University College London, a course which he left after a year, and then Media and Communications at Goldsmiths College.-Stand-up comedy and...
.
The format saw Nikki attempt several jobs on each show, which included various unpleasant tasks such as rubbish collecting, deep sea fishing, and waste management. The show's premise was to see whether or not Nikki would perform the tasks given to her and keep her job for a day, or whether she would quit or be sacked due to her infamous tantrum
Tantrum
A tantrum is an emotional outburst, usually associated with children or those in emotional distress, that is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, yelling, shrieking, defiance, angry ranting, a resistance to attempts at pacification and, in some cases, violence...
s. The concept of the show was taken from one of the tasks Nikki undertook while in the Big Brother House. During the task, she was assigned as Big Brother's personal assistant
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
and had to carry out various duties, which often resulted in Nikki throwing a tantrum and refusing to comply. The show was often compared to The Simple Life
The Simple Life
The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...
.
The theme music for the programme has been adapted from the 1982 hit single Hey Mickey!
Mickey (song)
"Mickey" is a 1982 U.S. new wave song recorded by singer and choreographer Toni Basil. Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as "Kitty", it was first recorded by UK popular music group Racey during 1979...
by Toni Basil
Toni Basil
Antonia Christina Basilotta , better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, filmmaker, film director, choreographer, and dancer, best known for her multi-million-selling worldwide #1 hit "Mickey" from 1982.-Early life:Basil was born Antonia Christina...
, with the lyrics "Hey Nikki!" used as a replacement.
Contrary to rumors, no second season is planned. Creative director Philip Edgar-Jones confirmed the series is finished in an interview with Brother's Bar.http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/weekendspecials/edgarjones.htm
Episode 1 "Fisherwoman" (6 September 2006)
The first episode involved Nikki entering the fishing industry. She spent a day on the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
catching and gutting fish, and then returned to land to work in a fish and chips shop
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
in nearby Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. At the end of the show, her employers commented on her performance, enthusiasm, etc. The person who worked on the fishing boat praised Nikki for not leaving, but complained that she didn't actually do any work. Her fish and chips shop
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
employer seemed to show obvious dislike for Nikki by calling her a Diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, a child, and stroppy (and suggesting she not be given any jobs that require thinking). This episode was watched by 530,001 individuals on average.
Episode 2 "Farmer" (13 September 2006)
In the second episode, Nikki was sent to Andrew Fuller’s farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
to assist as a farm hand. Her duties included cleaning a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
pen, tending the farm animals, and performing a rectal examination on a pregnant cow, which she screamed at and refused to do after the animal farted in her face. She later went to assist a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
where she made sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
s, and visited the shop's abattoir
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
. Once again, Nikki failed to make a good impression on her employers with Andrew Fuller commenting that the only way he would employ Nikki is if she paid him. This episode had an overnight rating of 308,700 viewers.
Episode 3 "Waste Management Officer" (20 September 2006)
The third episode of the series had a 'waste' theme. Nikki was initially sent to work as refuse operative (dustman), collecting people's rubbish from the streets of west LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After two hours of working the streets, Nikki managed to lift only five bags of garbage. Nikki was then sent to assist a colon hydro therapist, to perform a colonic irrigation on one of her customers. Nikki didn't act very professionally and burst into laughter several times during the therapy. She was eventually asked to leave. Nikki's final job of the day was to work at a sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
works in Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, where she was forced to scrape old tampons, human excrement and condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s off a huge sewage plant roller. Again, Nikki failed to impress her employers with one of the binmen exclaiming "She’s on Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
tonight! She’s the fucking weakest link.
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
" This episode was watched by 343,001 individuals on average.
Episode 4 "Zoo Keeper" (27 September 2006)
This episode had an animal theme. Nikki was originally sent to work as a kennel maid at a dog kennel. Here she was made to clean out dog faeces from each kennel, before churning up the excrement in a blender for disposal. That part went well. She also groomed the dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, but threw a tantrum when dog hair went up her nose, and then refused to finish her tasks. She later went to work as a zoo keeper
Zoo Keeper
Zoo Keeper is an online puzzle game developed by Robot Communications that was later ported to the Nintendo DS by Japanese video game publisher Success...
at Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo is a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission is "Bristol Zoo Gardens maintains and defends biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural...
. Here she cleaned an Okapi
Okapi
The okapi , Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa...
pen, handled rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, and dressed as a seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
in order to coax visitors to attend the seal feeding. Nikki managed to infuriate her bosses at the zoo by screaming loudly on several occasions. She was eventually prohibited from working with the animals as her screaming was deemed to be too upsetting for the animals, and she was removed." This episode had an overnight rating of 179,001 viewers.
Episode 5 "Mountain Rescuer" (4 October 2006)
This episode had an outdoor theme. First, Nikki was sent to the Lake DistrictLake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
to help a mountain rescue team "rescue" a woman who had broken her leg (it was an actress for training purposes). She threw a tantrum when climbing out of the boat to shore as the leader of the team shoved her for her petulance. Nikki was more concerned about getting a tissue to blow her nose than helping the woman in distress. She then abseiled down the side of a small cliff, which she said was the activity she had enjoyed most in the series to date. Nikki was then coached in surviving outdoors by survival expert, Chris Caine. He showed her how to build a simple outdoor home made of trees and branches, how to dig a hole in the ground for a toilet, and how to fish. The instructor was easily annoyed by Nikki's behaviour, leading to the usual tantrums and arguments from her. This episode had an overnight rating of 236,000 viewers.
Episode 6 "Rugby Player" (11 October 2006)
In the final episode, Nikki visited the Harlequin Ladies Rugby team. Here she was made to train and play rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
with the women. It started off well enough, but then the team was instructed to roll around on the cold damp grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
; she didn't. She saw one player go into a large container of iced water, in order to cool her muscles after the strenuous exercise. Eventually, the others dunked her into the bath, which Nikki didn't appreciate (describing the rugby players as "butch"). Her final assignment was to assist some environmental health contractors in cleaning a filthy, vermin-ridden house. Here she was made to remove maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s and cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
es from the house, before cleaning a bath full of festering sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
. Nikki spent most of her time screaming and crying, although she did eventually manage to complete the tasks given to her.
At the end of the episode, Nikki was asked to summarise and reflect on her employment experiences, commenting: "I thought, when I got this series, that I would get nice jobs that would help me learn how to do a working day...but it's been ghastly."
This episode had an overnight rating of 167,100 viewers .