num_pages: 176
description: Nick, Alex and Indie are delighted to be chosen to star in a hot new reality TV show, 'Kids Rule UK'. They will be fixed up with cameras to broadcast their lives for 12 hours every day. Viewers will be able to see how other people react to being on television and, in particular, how television empowers the siblings to make things the way they want them to be. But before filming even begins, Mum leaves home. Then the Kids soon realise that being a celebrity isn't all it's cracked up to be. The power they suddenly have sometimes seems overwhelming. Nick in particular finds it hard to handle. He withdraws further and further into himself, dropping out of school, stuffing himself with food and becoming increasingly violent. Things come to a head when he discovers that the TV company has been manipulating the family, making things as stressful for them as they can. This makes 'good' television - but it is the Kids' reactions that will make the most compelling viewing of all . . .
language: English
title: Calling the Shots
titlecomplete: Calling the Shots
ratings_count: 4
publisher: Oxford University Press