Watch Castaway 2000 (2000) online. Free streaming Hollywood's Most Extreme Physical Transformations Hollywood's Most Extreme Physical Transformations ... More ... Cast Away 2000 Watch Full Movie We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Castaway 2000 (TV Series 2000– ) - IMDb Editors' Spotlight IMDb Picks: October. IMDb's editors share the movies and TV shows they are excited to see in October. Castaway 2000 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Castaway 2000 is a successful British television show that, because it was aired in the same year that Survivor first aired in the United States and Big Brother first aired in Great Britain, is often regarded as a reality show. "Castaway 2000" (2000) With Ray Bowyer, Gordon Carey, Liz Cathrine. Visit IMDb for Photos, Showtimes, Cast, Crew, Reviews, Plot Summary, Comments, Discussions, Taglines, Trailers, Posters, Fan Sites Castaway 2000, 2000 - 2001 Castaway 2000.

With Ray Bowyer, Gordon Carey. Captivating, Isolation, Documentary. Visit Jinni for TV overview, trailers, reviews ratings. Watch Castaway 2000 Free Online - OVGuide Watch Castaway 2000 TV Show Free Online. Full Castaway 2000 Episodes Streaming. The daily survival of 36 men, women and children castaway on the remote Hebridean island of Taransay. This social exper... Castaway 2000 - TV.com Castaway 2000: Watch full length episodes & video clips. Read the latest Castaway 2000 episode guides & recaps, fan reviews, news, and much more. Castaway 2000 : The Full, Inside Story of the Major BBC TV ... Castaway 2000: The Full, Inside Story of the Major BBC TV Series [Mark McCrum] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The book of the televisual experiment Castaway 2000, a 14-part documentary in which 36 people of all ages and backgrounds were sent to live off their wits and the ...

Castaway 2000 Taransay - anyone see the update last year ... * Tanya Cheadle, was the official camera person has continued in her carer in TV and teamed up with the Castaway 2000 Director Paul Overton to work on a project in the USA. * Philily Page, Padraigs love interest on Taransay. Amazon.com: Castaway 2000: Movies & TV Online shopping from a great selection at Movies & TV Store. ... Watch instantly on your PS3, Xbox, Kindle Fire, iPad, PC and other devices. Castaway 2000 - Lion Television . Home Lion Television was founded in 1997 and is one of the most successful independent production companies in the United Kingdom. Castaway 2000 - Kickass TV Series Torrent Download - Kickass ... Castaway 2000 (2000) Documentary. Castaway 2000 was a reality TV programme commissioned by the BBC in 2000. The programme follows a group of thirty-six men, women, and children who are tasked with building a community on a remote Scottish island.

Castaway 2000 - Watch Free Viooz TV Series Download Online ... Castaway 2000 (2000) Documentary. Castaway 2000 was a reality TV programme commissioned by the BBC in 2000. The programme follows a group of thirty-six men, women, and children who are tasked with building a community on a remote Scottish island. Castaway 2000 - Reality TV Shows, Documentary Summary: Castaway 2000 was a reality TV programme commissioned by the BBC in 2000.For Castaway 2000 thirty-six men, women and children from the British public were placed on Taransay island for one year. Castaway 2000 : Wikis (The Full Wiki) The Concept. For Castaway 2000 thirty-six men, women and children from the British public were recruited and placed on Taransay, a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides for a year. See 9 more posts from Castaway (2000) · · ...

Return to Castaway Island: The cast of Britain's first reality TV programme reunite | Daily Mail Online Return to Castaway Island: The cast of Britain's first reality TV programme reunite comments Ten years ago, Castaway turned 28 adults and eight children into Britain’s first reality TV stars. Now, as the cast prepare for a reunion on the remote Hebridean island of Taransay where they found fame, five of them tell how the groundbreaking show changed their lives. It was a groundbreaking programme that ­ushered in a new era of reality television. Now the cast of the BBC’s Castaway 2000 are to return to the uninhabited Hebridean island of Taransay to mark the show’s tenth anniversary. The reunion will be a time to rekindle friendships, forget old enmities and to reflect on how a project billed as a ‘bold social experiment’ affected the lives of the 28 adults and eight children who built their own community and lived there for a year.

The £2.4 million project, which started on December 30, 1999, was plagued by problems and hardships for the castaways, who arrived to find their eco-pod houses and compost lavatories were not ready. Families with children rebelled and returned to the mainland, so sowing the seeds of division. Seven castaways quit before the year was out. There were power games, gossip, broken bones – and the odd romance. Castaway turned 28 adults and eight children into Britain's first reality TV stars - and now the cast plan to reunite But attempts by the programme-makers to manipulate the castaways met with hostility from the islanders, who found ingenious ways to break the rules, including bribing a local fisherman to leave supplies on the beach. And the show made a star of TV presenter Ben Fogle who, until then, worked on Tatler magazine. The Mail on Sunday caught up with some of those who became stars of the show to find out what happened after they left Taransay. 1. Ben Fogle, 36, presenter, writer and adventurer, lives with wife Marina, 31, and seven-month-old son Ludo in West London.

Posh Ben: The year on Taransay was a great adventure for Fogle, and introduced him to environmental issues He says: ‘I had no plans to make a career in TV, so Castaway was a life-changing experience. It opened my eyes to environmental issues. The high point was being on magical Taransay, the real star of the show. ‘Many of my fellow castaways are now friends, with a dozen of them attending my wedding. I loved interacting with the children as it was an opportunity to practise being a dad. The low points were when people left, when Ron’s dog Charlie died and being away from friends and family. It was like living in a pressure cooker. I had a ­falling-out with Ron, which ended up with me in tears. But I’d love to see him again. ‘Everyone called me Posh Ben, but really Castaway was more “me” than Tatler was. My major achievement was helping put up miles of deer fence and the water piping. ‘I loved the community, but there was a rift between the younger cast­ aways and those with families, who wanted more infrastructure and food, which created a tense atmosphere.

After Big Brother aired, the BBC wanted me to shave my Robinson Crusoe beard because it wasn’t good for ratings, but I wouldn’t. ‘Castaway was orig­inal, pure and naive. It was the forerunner and the antithesis of today’s slick shows that are all about fame, money and exploitation. ‘We used people power to resist the TV executives. We were all volunteers with nothing to lose. There were no prizes and no one wanted to be famous. I’m proud we became a self-sufficient community within a year.’ 2, 3 Oliver Stephenson, 17, A-level student, lives with parents in Crediton, Devon. He says: ‘I was seven when I went to Taransay with my parents and my brother Felix, who was five. It sounded a great idea to be taken out of school, but at the beginning I wanted to go home because I missed my friends. ‘I remember writing to a friend, recalling making a raft and sailing round the lochs. I sent him letters and photographs because there were no computers or email. ‘It was an exciting time, chasing deer out of our vegetable patch.

School on the island was a very different experience as there were just eight of us. Sometimes Mum taught us but I loved learning from people with different skills, from artists and poets. Great idea: Oliver Stephenson, pictured with his mother Rosemary, loved chasing deer, but aged just seven, missed his friends ‘The things I missed were tele­vision and flushing toilets. The food was good and varied, dep­ending on the effort people put in. Sometimes we didn’t have much to eat, but it was rewarding to eat what we had grown. I learnt how to knit and splice ropes – I helped make our garden hammock out of fishing nets from the island. ‘I’ve just finished my AS-levels and hope to go to Cambridge University. I love travel and experiencing new things. I feel the pull of somewhere really remote and open to the elements.’ 4 Ron Copsey, 54, therapist and writer, lives near Ipswich, Suffolk. Lost the plot: Ron Copsey quit the show when his dog Charlie died He says: ‘I quit the island after six months following the death of my border collie Charlie. It was like losing my best friend and I lost the plot.

I’ve had a plaque made for her grave on Taransay. ‘But my lasting memories are much more positive. I made great friends and we’re still very much in touch today. My biggest contribution was being involved in the children’s edu­cation. They made me laugh. It will be great to meet them all again as young adults. ‘Castaway is a bittersweet memory for me with the rows about homophobia, drinking too much and then successfully suing the programme-makers for libel. ‘Given the chance again, I might have behaved differently. Alcohol fuelled some of the rows and things got out of hand. I’m now teetotal. I’ve also realised that we learn more by listening than talking. We were all stressed at times and said things we regret. ‘Since Castaway, I’ve gained a BA in counselling and work with addicts. I am currently enjoying a sabbatical with my dogs.’ 5 Sandy Colbeck, 68, mother of two, retired microbiologist, lives in Fareham, Hampshire. Sandy Colbeck is still friends with 20 of the castaways She says: ‘I was divorced and wanted to get out of the rat race and lead a simple communal life.

I looked after the chickens, which I loved. The low point was that winter seemed to go on for ever. ‘When the production company failed to send all the food we’d ordered, I went to a store on the mainland, which was against the rules. I stocked up on green veg and fruit, chocolate eggs for the children’s Easter egg hunt and a couple of turkeys. ‘Castaway didn’t change me. I am independent, don’t suffer fools gladly, conscientious and focused. Some people thought I was brusque but that’s how I am. ‘To get to know people and learn about them takes a while and a year gives you time to do that. I have remained friends with about 20 castaways.’ 6, 7, 8 Julia Corrigan, 52, former teacher, lives in Witham, Essex, with husband Colin and their daughter Natasha. Paradise: Julia Corrigan, right, with Colin and Natasha. Colin bawled his eyes out when they left She says: ‘I was so excited at the idea of living on a beautiful, romantic island and leaving normal society. Living off the land in the freezing Hebrides and walking along white beaches was fantastic.

‘We married three weeks before we left for Taransay and sold every­thing we owned, so it was really scary. It was a real community, with all its problems and some strong characters who were over-dramatic. ‘People could be selfish. There were factions and petty arguments about who ate the last egg. But there was also fun, lots of sing­ing, dancing and games. ‘As a family we had a wonderful experience. It changed our ideas of how to live. We went on to live in the middle of nowhere, keeping pigs and chickens and trying to live off the land for six years.’ Colin, 57, a decorator, was the island’s slaughterman. ‘I smuggled in booze and fags and those holier-than-thou types would sheepishly ask me what I could get,’ he says. ‘I gained new skills: smoking bacon and pork in a filing cabinet, making a coffin for Ron’s dog. I loved the camarad­erie. The island was paradise. ‘When I left, I bawled my eyes out.

It was like a bereavement.’ Channel 4 reality TV show set for Highland forest despite local protests - The Scotsman Channel 4 reality TV show set for Highland forest despite local protests The show will be filmed in woodland off Cul Na Croise beach (pictured) in Lochaber. Photo WikiCommons. ALISON CAMPSIE Have your say CHANNEL 4 will take over a Lochaber woodland for a year-long reality TV survival show despite local objections. Producers have won a battle to film Eden, a year-long documentary about 24 skilled people selected to live together in the wilderness, at the Ardnamurchan estate. We don’t want to see anything being built there that shouldn’t be there. Apart from that I am remarkably relaxed about this. It will provide a good source of nutrition for the local midges Councillor Donnie Kerr, Highland Council The participants - who will be filmed round the clock - will be expected to hunt for food, grow crops and build their own shelter. The series will follows in the footsteps of the BBC series Castaway 2000 which made a star of presenter Ben Fogle. However a number of people living nearby the site had submitted strong objections to Highland Council over the plans.

They said the filming could spoil an area of natural beauty, cause pollution and damage to wildlife and have a negative impact on the local economy. READ MORE: Reality TV show Eden heads to Scotland’s west coast However, at a committee meeting today councillors voted in favour of the application by KEO Films, the production company commissioned by Channel 4 to create the show. Councillor Andrew Baxter, of the Highland Alliance Party, said: “I am prepared to accept this application due to the transitory nature of it. “I have a wry smile when the applicant says it is a documentary. Let’s face it, it is a reality TV show. “But I am sure people across the country will watch it with interest and it will help tourism in the area.” His colleague councillor Donnie Kerr said: “My only concern is that it is an area of natural beauty and we don’t want to see anything being built there that shouldn’t be there. “Apart from that I am remarkably relaxed about this. It will provide a good source of nutrition for the local midges.” The site lies on the sparsely populated Ardnamurchan Estate, northwest of Acharacle, a region famed for its natural beauty and sporting appeal.

Two locations on the 600-acre site, between Cul na Croise beach and a conifer forest further inland, have been identified as potential settlement areas for participants in the show. Two dozen volunteers will build their own remote community within the estate, where they will hunt for their own food, build their own shelter and live self-sufficiently for 12 months. As well as the settlements, eight portable cabins for the show’s production team will be built along with a car park built. Margaret Green, of Dal-Ghorm House, a property which lies adjacent to the forest, said: “It is not a wilderness, but it is really not suitable for people to live there, because it is forestry. “I am concerned about what will happen to the wildlife, and that there will be pollution.” Another objector, Pamela Powell, said: “I am very concerned about the environmental impact of this project as birds nest on the beaches and in the dunes and various species of mammals and insects are present which, along with the plant life, make up a small but important ecosystem. “This project is not in fact taking place in a very remote wilderness as the publicity suggests.

It is only a few kms down a good track to Acharacle village and there are houses even closer than that. “A fence is already going up which, despite what has been claimed, will restrict access between the beaches. “These beaches are visited regularly by locals and tourists without the scale of environmental damage likely to be caused by a group living and working there for a prolonged period of time.” A separate decision on whether the film-makers can restrict roaming access to the site is due to be made by Scottish Ministers. Channel 4 said that Eden sought to set itself apart from Castaway 2000, which was filmed on the Outer Hebridean island of Taransay, by allowing the participants to film themselves.

Liam Humphreys, head of factual entertainment at Channel 4, said: “It promises to be a bold idea, not least because of the scale of the concept but also because as programme makers we have absolutely no idea what will happen.” Castaway island Taransay put up for sale - BBC News BBC News Castaway island Taransay put up for sale 31 May 2011 Close share panel Image caption The island was used in a year-long TV series in 2000 A tiny island in the Western Isles that featured in the BBC reality television series Castaway has been put up for sale. Taransay, which lies off the isle of Harris, has an asking price of £2m or above. In 2000 a group of people lived on Taransay, made up of two islands linked by a sand bar, for the programme. Among those who took part was Ben Fogle, who now works as a TV presenter. John Bound, of property consultants CKD Galbraith, which is managing the sale of Taransay, said: "If you've ever dreamt of owning your own island paradise then the Isle of Taransay has it all to offer.

"The island was put on the map when it featured in the television series Castaway which portrayed its true splendour. "The traditional buildings provide comfortable accommodation and coupled with sporting, farming and holiday letting enterprises, Taransay offers a unique opportunity not to be repeated in a lifetime." The island is said to be home of Celtic pagans in 300AD and was the site of several fierce battles, such as the Massacre of Taransay in 1544 when the Morrisons of Lewis invaded. New TV show set in Scottish highlands tests contestants survival skills - Scotland Now Scotland Now Receive updates from Scotland by email New TV show set in Scottish highlands tests contestants survival skills 13:42, 8 Jul 2016 By Annie Brown CHANNEL 4 survival show Eden puts participants to the test on the stunning Ardnamurchan estate with limited resources and no contact with the outside world. Share Get weekly news by email IMAGINE a small corner of Scotland where there was no Brexit, no falling pound and no imploding politics. A place where we could start again.

That scenario exists for 23 people taking part in new TV show Eden, set on the Ardnamurchan estate in the most westerly extremity of the Scottish Highlands. The participants in the Channel 4 survival show have had no contact with the outside world since they went in March. They have had to create their own micro-society, build their own shelter and provide their own food by growing crops and raising livestock. The inhabitants of this remote utopia have no phones, no access to social media, no contact with family and friends or the outside world. It’s not so much Lord of the Flies as Lord of the Midgies as they decide on their own rules and laws. They have goats, sheep, access to the sea from an idyllic beach – and not much else. Those taking part include two doctors, a fisherman, a gamekeeper, a chef, a carpenter, a shopfitter, a yoga instructor and a shepherdess. They are all aged 24-55. There is one married man with grown-up children. The rest are single. They were allowed to take tools of the trade, so the chef took knives and the shepherdess brought a sheepdog.

They could also take as many personal possessions as they could carry, including cigarettes, alcohol and condoms. Series editor Liz Foley said the idea was to bring together people with skills and not strive for the large personalities and conflicts of reality shows like Big Brother. She said: “We wanted it to succeed, to thrive. “They had to bring something sustainable to the community – to be everyman, everywomen, doing ordinary jobs, rather than a bunch of hippies living in a commune. “We didn’t cast for conflict or drama. It was about the ability to create and sustain the community.” The show has been marketed on escapism, which seems so attractive in these unsettled times of sensory overload from social media. Ads to promote it were placed in strategic places. One posted near phone shops, asks: “No cyber bullying. No dodgy wifi. Dfntly no txtspk. What if we could start again?” Other ads placed near banks read: “No poverty. No recessions. No bankers’ bonuses. What if we could start again?” Jack Croft, who designed the ads, said: “We wanted to make the public think about what they would ditch if someone hit the reset button. “Would we repeat the recession?

Would we ditch gender inequality? Would we really have space in the new world for selfie sticks?” The series is being filmed from the inside by an embedded crew, personal cameras and a fixed rig. The participants also wear GoPro cameras and leave footage for the crew to pick up. A fence surrounds the area where the Eden dwellers have settled and there are security guards on patrol. The series aims to challenge everything about modern living, raising questions about what we need to be happy, what we want from our communities and how we are all influenced by society. Caroline, 27, a shepherdess from Hawick, said she had always had a dream of living in isolation. Before she went in, she said: “I am ready for it. I feel a bit suffocated by social media. Caroline, 27, said she was desperate to get away from social media. “This is the bravest thing I have ever done. I have never even been on a plane by myself.” Her parents thought she was daft but her sister Emma Gray found the idea exciting. And she knows a thing or two about isolation.

Emma wrote One Girl and her Dog: Life, Love and Lambing in the Middle of Nowhere, after moving from Hawick to a farm in Northumberland. There was no gas or mains electricity and she had just 13 border collies for company. Glasgow -born Jack, 31, was an estate agent before becoming a member of the Household Cavalry. He said the isolation from loved ones was his biggest fear in Eden. But he said his Army background would be useful. He said: ”We are good at being wet and cold and getting on with it.” Glasgow-born Jack, 31, was in the Army and is used to harsh conditions. He fears he might be dubbed the next Nasty Nick, as in Nick Bateman, the back-stabbing contestant in the first series of Big Brother. There are major differences with BB. The producers were keen that none of those taking part were striving for stardom and a TV career. And if there is a spark between any of those in the community, there will be no footage of them having sex, only a focus on the romance in the interests of the experiment.

Comparisons will be made with Castaway, the BBC show set on the Scottish island of Taransay in 2000. But in that show, the inhabitants lived in eco-pods, got letters from home and were allowed one visit a year from their families. A number of people living near the Eden site submitted strong objections to Highland Council about the show. Critics said the filming could spoil an area of natural beauty, cause pollution, damage wildlife and have a negative impact on the local economy. Others welcomed the prospect of publicity and tourism and the council gave the green light for the show. The new Eden, although remote, is not that isolated. It is less than five miles from the village of Acharacle, Lochaber, where there is a chip shop, a bakery, a hotel and a shop. The township of Arivegaig is even closer and the beach used in the show is a favourite for picnic fans. But Donald Houston, who owns the Ardnamurchan Estate, said it will be a tough exercise. He said: “We thought they were completely mad at first, as we know how challenging the landscape is around here and it seemed impossible people could survive on their own.

“It can get very wet and windy here, which will make it difficult to build shelter and to find food. “The weather will be a very big issue. “The land is not very fertile for growing crops. There are a few more sheltered areas on the sites but they will need to find them.” How Castaway made my life hell | Television & radio | The Guardian Reality TV How Castaway made my life hell Ten years on, one of the participants in the BBC reality show on why it took him years to recover from the experience Ron Copsey preparing for the Castaway project with Ben Fogle Photograph: Simon Roberts/BBC ONE Reality TV How Castaway made my life hell Ten years on, one of the participants in the BBC reality show on why it took him years to recover from the experience Ron Copsey Share on Messenger Close Ten years ago I was one of 36 men, women and children recruited to live on the remote Hebridean island of Taransay as part of the Castaway 2000 project for the BBC.

It was ambitiously billed as a "bold new experiment for the new millennium" and we were the guinea pigs who'd build a sustainable, self-sufficient community from scratch and fend for ourselves in the Scottish wilderness. We'd grow our own food, kill our own meat and govern ourselves for the year-long project. It was to be a year that changed my life in ways I could never imagine. In contrast to today's reality TV, there were no cash prizes, rewards, winners or losers – we were told this was a show with "integrity and credibility". At the time of being selected in 1999 I was a 44-year-old gay man living in Twickenham; I was in pretty good shape – happy and content. I'd just retired from an acting career and begun a degree in counselling, supporting myself as a freelance writer. I had a clear focus and direction, but curiosity got the better of me. A friend alerted me to the advert for Castaway, saying I'd be the only person they knew mad enough to give it a go. The concept intrigued me. What a fantastic opportunity to experiment with a different way of life; to learn about human nature and group dynamics.

Nobody was more surprised than me when I was selected. I was one of the first Castaways to be offered a place, and the last to sign the contract. I felt like a groom walking up the aisle on his wedding day, not really convinced that he's doing the right thing. It didn't take long to discover my gut instinct was right. On 27 December 1999, we left our homes and families, and on our arrival in Scotland were told the island was not ready for habitation. We were thrown into a youth hostel and then informed that some of our personal possessions had been dropped during an airlift. I was one of the four unlucky ones – everything we'd packed for the year had been destroyed. One catastrophe followed another – there was a serious outbreak of flu and bronchitis, and many of us were terribly ill. The younger, fitter Castaways were shipped off to the island and built makeshift accommodation in the schoolhouse; those of us who were sick were transferred to a hotel, along with the families who refused to put their children at risk on Taransay, which still resembled a building site. The TV crew looked stressed and agitated.

We were later to discover that the division created between those on the mainland and those on the island would provide their first major source of televised conflict – with those on Taransay hailed as heroes and the rest of us portrayed as objectionable wimps. These stories found their way into the tabloid press. Being pitted against each other wasn't pleasant, and it felt as if there was more to come. Many of us thought of returning home. But we kept each other going, saying that once we got to the island things would be different. Sometime in late January we eventually got to the island. Taransay is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and we all fell in love with it. The winter weather could be ferocious but in spring and summer it was heaven on earth. The landscape is rugged and wild, and you feel at its mercy. Most of the early days were spent getting to know each other and having endless meetings about how we were to live on Taransay. Many rows ensued regarding the work rota and how to spend the community budget – even some punch ups between some of the men. It all seemed so surreal because of the ever-present cameras.

We had a resident camerawoman who was installed as a fellow Castaway, and we were taught how to use cameras and encouraged to film each other. In addition the main crew visited every fortnight – this would make most of us scatter to all four corners of Taransay to evade them. By now, most of us had a fundamental mistrust of the TV company – feeling they were manipulative, divisive and disruptive. They had their favourite Castaways, those who were compliant in the face of their demands, and these people were treated well and given gifts. Others – like me – who refused to be controlled were treated harshly. Ben Fogle was chosen very early on as the star of the show, and this caused resentment within the camp. It wasn't Fogle's fault – he was a good-looking young man with a posh accent, while the rest of us looked like we'd been pulled through a hedge backwards. He was obviously going to be the show's eye candy. Ben and I started out as good mates but, like everyone on the island, we had our ups and downs.

As the programmes began to be aired, we received letters from home warning us that we'd been cast like actors in a soap opera – with all the focus on the rows and discord. Many of us decided to play the production team at their own game, and began to break the rules of the project. We were supposed to have no contact with the outside world but gave our credit cards to locals on the mainland, who would bring us "contraband" – luxury foods, alcohol and tobacco. We felt like we'd been set up to fail. For example, having selected me as the only gay in the village, the programme makers had also recruited a family of Seventh-day Adventists, who would be likely to object to my sexuality. The fuse was lit by members of the production team who publicly branded me a "drama queen" whenever I refused to co-operate with them. And they eventually got their pound of flesh, when the situation flared up and I had the Bible quoted at me. I was left feeling isolated and vulnerable. We eventually patched up our differences, but little support was offered by the programme makers, who only seemed interested in squeezing every last frame out of the situation.

And the same went for many other Castaways who needed emotional support for a variety of reasons that year – bereavements, severe depression, broken hearts, homesickness, the list was endless. We were left to our own devices – it was sink or swim. There were no counsellors attached to the project – only a clinical psychologist who had helped with the selection process and who, by her own admission, had little or no counselling experience. Six months rolled by and I became increasing disillusioned. My dog, Charlie, who had been my constant companion for 13 years, suddenly became very ill and needed to see a vet on the mainland. Advanced cancer was diagnosed, and Charlie was put to sleep. Grief-stricken, I fell into a deep depression. I'd bought Charlie as an eight-week-old puppy from Battersea dogs' home in 1987 and she became my world – we went everywhere together. To me, it was like losing a child. At my lowest point, a member of the production team presented me with the vet's bill and insisted I obtain the Castaways' approval to pay this from the community budget – another potential source of conflict.

Their insensitivity made me see red, and sparked a chain of events that led to me leaving the island. I wanted to be with my family and friends, so I planned my escape on a boat that came to collect livestock. The TV producers insisted I stay. Before we left, the author of the official Castaway book, who had been visiting the island was told: "Take the bastard into the middle of the sea and drown him." Back at home my depression deepened as I watched the programmes. I left the show in June 2000, but footage of me rowing with other Castaways continued to be screened right up until October. I was portrayed as a loose cannon with few redeeming qualities. I was constantly recognised by people who'd seen the show, and I felt they were thinking badly of me. Losing one's anonymity in this way can be scary. I became a virtual prisoner in my own home. By then I was drinking far too much alcohol and my life was in chaos. Every time another episode of Castaway was aired, it got worse. One of the hardest things was discovering that my nephews had been bullied at school because of the way I'd been demonised.

Eventually, after around 18 months in hiding, with the help of a therapist, I managed to pull through and went back to training as a counsellor. Continuing to gather strength, I decided sue the BBC and the production company Lion TV for libel following the screening of a sequence of events that I can only describe as distorted and untruthful. Viewers were led to believe that, following Charlie's death and being told about the vet's bill, I'd had a violent outburst and thrown a chair at a female Castaway. The row had actually been with a member of the production team, when I had thrown a chair – against a wall – and left the room. The programme-makers then cobbled this together with old footage of another Castaway crying, and saying that she was intimidated by me. I won my case and was awarded £16,000 in damages, plus costs, and I got my apology in the high court. Libel is notoriously difficult and costly to prove, and I remain the first and only reality TV participant to have successfully sued in this way.

Since then, I've watched the damage caused by reality TV get progressively worse: the cruel exploitation of young people on shows such as The X Factor; extreme violence erupting on Big Brother; suicides, mental breakdowns and even a murder arising from one American show. Many people who feel their lives have been destroyed by reality TV have contacted me for help and support – some of them suicidal. Their suffering is real – and a high price to pay for entertainment. In defending their programmes, TV producers claim their victims know what they're letting themselves in for, that contestants "know the score". I certainly didn't – and the power imbalance was huge. From our experience on the island, it was telling that no significant dramas involving the community's camerawoman were shown on TV. An incident on Taransay sticks in my mind. One of the kids stole some sweets from my room and the camera–woman demanded I be interviewed on camera. I refused, explaining that if the programme branded the child a thief, it could have devastating consequences for them. She told me that on becoming a Castaway we'd agreed that everything could be filmed: "It's contractual," I was informed. Her lack of concern for the child's welfare astounded me.

Sadly, it's far too late to stop the reality TV beast, but I'd like to see much better accountability and responsibility. Producers could start by only recruiting those robust enough for the challenge and by offering appropriate support and aftercare. Why does there always need to have been a fatal train crash before the dodgy rails are fixed? Of course, Castaway wasn't all bad. I made some great friends and the bond between us is like those forged between survivors of any terrible disaster. We've been far more forgiving towards each other because we accept that we lived in a pressure cooker. We all said and did things we regret and are guilty of taking ourselves far too seriously. A decade on, some of us are planning an informal reunion on Taransay this weekend, and this time we will be captains of our own ship – this is a holiday for the Castaways by the Castaways, void of intrusive camera crews. This will be the first time I've been back to the island, and it's been good to reflect on the experience. Many of my most treasured memories involve the children. I'll never forget my drama classes, and making music in the kitchen with pots and pans and anything else we could find.

My biggest contribution to island life was in the education and development of the children, but sadly only a few seconds of this was shown over the entire series. It's a shame the children were not featured more – they're a very special bunch. After Charlie died they made beautiful sympathy cards and created a seat made from rocks at the foot of her grave so I could "sit and talk to her". One of them gave me a stone decorated with 13 tiny yellow seashells – one from each of Charlie's life. Looking back I can that perhaps we had the most to learn from the children, who bonded quickly, rarely argued, had terrific fun and were an inspiration in how to seize the day. It will be interesting to meet them again as young adults. Although Castaway had its successes, it also had glaring failures. We were given a wonderful opportunity to live differently, and all we did was replicate how we lived at home: people wanted rules, cliques, some kind of permanent, secure structure. It was disappointing that the Taransay community appeared to reflect society, but, for whatever reason, the minority groups felt marginalised and quit the island early – the oldest man, the gay man, the black family.

The experience has changed me in many ways. I left London and moved to the country, and I'm happier with a quieter, more relaxed existence. I guess the project helped me grow up: the person I am today would never do Castaway. But perhaps the biggest legacy is my healthy contempt for reality TV, and my desire to assist those who have also been damaged. Since gaining my degree and working as a therapist, I've decided to specialise in TV aftercare. I certainly feel qualified. BBC News | SCOTLAND | Castaway island welcomes visitors Tuesday, 10 July, 2001, 14:53 GMT 15:53 UK Castaway island welcomes visitors The island has been put on the tourism map The remote Scottish island of Taransay, made famous by the television documentary series Castaway 2000, has been opened up to tourists. The island, which is once again uninhabited after the 36 men, women and children who volunteered for the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary completed their year-long challenge.

Now the island's owner, Angus MacKay, is hoping to cash in on Taransay's fame by allowing visitors to rent out one of the two cottages on the island, which is usually only home to sheep, red deer and other wildlife. A house, which was home to castaway doctor Roger Stephenson, his wife Rosemary and their young children Felix and Oliver during the show, has running water, electricity and solid fuel and can take six guests. I think they will like the peace and quiet and the chance to get away from it all Angus MacKay Island owner A second cottage, used by the castaways as a school, will be available from next April for up to five guests. Holidaymakers would need to make sure they took enough food and supplies as Taransay has no shops and the mainland can only be accessed by boat when the weather is calm enough. Mr MacKay, whose father bought the island in 1967, believes visitors will be attracted by the tranquillity of the isle and the chance of solitude. He said: "I think they will like the peace and quiet and the chance to get away from it all.

Working farm "You can't do anything but relax and you have all the beaches to yourself." Mr MacKay, who runs the island as a working farm, decided to diversify because of the interest generated by the television show and because of the difficulties faced by farmers in the wake of the foot-and-mouth outbreak. He added: "Farming is at a difficult stage at the moment ... But really it was more because people were interested in coming here and the facilities are here so we thought we may as well use them." A website is being used as a contact point for anyone interested in holidaying on Taransay, which covers an area of 3,500 acres. Mr MacKay is also running day trips to Taransay from Horgobost beach on the neighbouring island of Harris. Eco-pods Anyone wishing to take a day trip or spend longer at one of the cottages will have to remain flexible however, as he can only arrange transport by boat over to Taransay when the weather is calm.

He said: "Everything is weather permitting so people have got to be a bit flexible, it might be that they can't go one day and will have to wait until the next to go over to Taransay, that's the only drawback." Unlike the castaways who lived in wooden hut-type structures known as eco-pods - all of which have now been sold and removed from the island - which had no toilets or showers, people visiting the self-catering cottages will have normal sanitation facilities. The television show began in January, 2000 and the castaways left the island at the end of the same year. Search BBC News Online BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | The year of reality TV Saturday, 23 December, 2000, 23:32 GMT The year of reality TV By the BBC's William Gallagher The year 2000 saw new people and programmes sparking into life on TV, but it was mostly a year of endings. Giant shows moved or finished to great fanfare, while tastes in programmes slowly shifted and some of 1999's best successes began to flounder.

It was as if TV was determined to show it had moved on from the 90s and old ways of making programmes were no longer good enough. Castaway began the reality TV genre Suddenly the docusoap, once adored by British viewers but overdone to the point of tedium, was no longer the staple of television. And Big Brother was. Not just Big Brother. The true start to this genre was the BBC's Castaway 2000 which in January saw 36 volunteers stranded on Taransay island for a year-long experiment. It was meant to be about how people coped entirely removed from civilisation, but in hours it was a failure as the volunteers had to be put up in hotels while bad weather ransacked the island. A year on, the producers now say that the experiment was as much about viewers' and the media's reaction to events on the island. But despite some fascinating rows on Taransay, all that marks the castaways out is that they are the only people who have not heard of Big Brother.

That show dominated the first half of the year as pundits saw its successful European format of locking 10 people up in a camera-laden house as being the lowest of cheap, manipulative and even tacky ideas. Once Big Brother had begun in July, though, opinions changed. At first reluctantly but then with a rush the show became the talking point of the nation and the nation's press. Star deaths in 2000 Richard Mulligan (Soap) Larry Linvile (M*A*S*H) It was always going to be faster than Castaway 2000 but the UK makers sped up the format still further. They planned weekly evictions from the Big Brother house instead of fortnightly as in the German version. But what they did not plan, and could only have dreamed about, was an unexpected extra eviction in August as contestant 'Nasty' Nick Bateman was ordered to leave for breaking the show's rules. He had riled the other contestants and made a mini-folk hero out of eventual winner Craig Phillips, who confronted him. Phenomenon By the end, Craig and Big Brother were a phenomenon and the final night scored huge ratings for Channel 4.

In America, Big Brother flopped terribly but perhaps not unexpectedly, as the format was weakened - one contestant was allowed out of the house to attend the Emmy awards ceremony. Big Brother provided 2000's top TV image By the end of the US version, the contestants were threatening to walk out and the networks were rumoured to be offering cash to any of them who would leave and be replaced by someone interesting. But America fell completely for Survivor, a Castaway/Big Brother hybrid coming to the UK on ITV next year. While Celador and ITV, the makers of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? floundered with its poor sequel The People Versus, BBC hit back with The Weakest Link. With its funding coming from the licence fee, the BBC can never offer huge cash sums on quiz shows but this one defied previous logic by proving that money was not vital. The contestants rarely win more than a tiny fraction of those on Millionaire but they work for every penny. From its quiet start on BBC Two in the Autumn, host Anne Robinson eschewed the matey, arm-around-the-shoulders type of quiz show presenting.

Fans of One Foot in the Grave left flowers at the spot where the fictional Victor Meldrew died Foolish answers were severely mocked, players were forced to work together as a team one minute but fight the next. And as each one was forced out of the game, they got Robinson's "You are the Weakest Link, goodbye" in their ears. Within weeks BBC Two controller Jane Root was commissioning another 90 daily daytime editions and BBC One was mounting special evening versions. The trend to true tension in a quiz was undoubtedly fostered by the 1999 all-out success of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? but in 2000 this excellent show was showing signs of trouble. 2000 was a time for new, short experiments like Marion & Geoff In America, as well as the tacky spin-off with the winner effectively being offered a wife as a prize, the show changed formats to keep viewers interested. The top cash prize is no longer $1m, but $1m plus $10,000 for every day that no one wins. Similarly, in Britain, the show is trying to refresh its look with a special Christmas 2000 series featuring couples answering questions instead of individuals.

Britain's show got its first �1m winner in November 2000. And what a controversial moment that was as it fell on the night of the fictional demise of Victor Meldrew in BBC's hit One Foot in the Grave. But while it was surely coincidence, it came during a fraught time for the UK television's schedules, with the move of ITV's News at Ten and the BBC's subsequent decision to move its own news to 10pm. Judith Keppel became the first UK winner of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The ramifications for British television schedules were huge and for many as entertaining as the programmes themselves. One of the few programmes to remain where it was planned to go was the last ever Inspector Morse, which saw the demise of the leading character after 33 films. Coming the week before Victor Meldrew was killed off, this upset British viewers no end and scored ITV a high rating - though not remotely as high as Morse's peak in the 1980s. Ratings for everything were down as the proliferation of TV channels continued, but in a way the lack of enormous viewing figures meant smaller shows and people got more notice.

Student favourite Ali G earned a small cult following when he left Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show for his own series. The attention he got for it propelled him into a pop video for Madonna. Anne Robinson's quiz show is one of the strongest links in BBC schedules Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer resurrected the 1960s show Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) to good comedic effect in March, while the comedy find of the year was Alistair McGowan whose impressions made such an impression in 1999 on BBC Radio 4's Dead Ringers. One-off shows with bite included April's When Louis Met Jimmy, a profile of Jimmy Savile by Louis Theroux. People still argue which of them bested the other. And April had Cor, Blimey!, a marvellously poignant and terrifically sad dramatisation of the affair between Carry On stars Barbara Windsor and Sid James. The year 2000 did not mark the end of major drama, as it started with Gormenghast and 2001 sees the start of epic BBC Two drama In a Land of Plenty.

But it was a time for new, short experiments like the 10-minute Marion & Geoff comedy in the autumn rather than continuations of 90s favourites. The soaps were the exception, and not only continued their grip on British viewers but celebrated milestones too. EastEnders reached its 15th anniversary while Coronation Street trounced that by reaching its 40th. Both continue to dominate the ratings, though, showing that for all of the many changes in 2000, some things are set to remain the same for 2001. That is, for television, if not for those Taransay castaways who are coming home. See also: New owner of Castaway island named - Telegraph Scotland New owner of Castaway island named The man who beat Ben Fogle to buy the island of Taransay has been named as Adam Kelliher, head of a leading pharmaceutical firm.

The site on the island of Taransay in the Western Isles of Scotland where the Castaways lived in 2000 Photo: PA By Nick Collins Comments Fogle admitted on Monday he was "bitterly disappointed" to have failed in his bid for the island, on which he previously lived for a year as a contestant on the reality TV series Castaway 2000, the show that launched his career. The man he lost out to is reported to be the chief executive of drugs company Equateq, who is reported to have paid more than £2 million to secure the deal. Mr Kelliher, a New Zealander, is based in London but his family also owns the Borve Lodge and estate in the west of Harris while Equateq owns a factory in Callanish on Lewis. The CEO and joint founder of Equateq has been involved in the lipid sector since the late 1990s, when he started an omega oil nutraceutical company. Fogle has wished the new owners well but said he was "gutted" after being beaten in the race to buy the Hebridean island – at least the fourth Scottish island he has failed to buy.

Related Articles Castaway island on sale for £2m 31 May 2011 Selling agents CKD Galbraith declined to name the new owners but said they already owned property on Harris. Mr Kelliher was said to be uncontactable today. It is not clear whether he, or a company or trust that he controls, has made the purchase. CKD Galbraith said the island's owners knew the purchasers and the island was passing into "safe hands". John Bound, representing the firm, added: "There will no doubt be a number of disappointed parties who would have liked to bid but it is fitting that Taransay is now in the new ownership of somebody closely acquainted to the area who will preserve the current management of the island. "Given its exceptional beauty and outstanding setting, it was no surprise that Taransay attracted so much interest and that it has been sold in less than two weeks. "The existing owners know the purchaser and all involved are delighted with the outcome and the island passes into safe hands." Fogle was trying to form a consortium to buy the island.

He said that "without doubt" Taransay was "the most beautiful place I have been." The TV presenter, who has always wanted an island home, said he had been "inundated" with pledges and other offers of support to help him turn Taransay into a nature reserve. He said he would like his family – his wife Marina recently gave birth to their second child, Iona, named after the Scottish island – to live on Taransay for part of the year. Fogle once tried to buy the craggy isle of Ailsa Craig off the Ayrshire coast, which is now up for sale again. It is being marketed at offers higher than £2.5 million by Hamburg-based Vladi Private Islands on behalf of Charles Kennedy, the eighth Marquess of Ailsa. The first island Fogle considered buying was Eilean Dubh in the Scottish Summer Isles – but he discovered he didn't have enough money for it. This was followed by Ailsa Craig, for which he was outbid. Then he twice bid unsuccessfully for Eilean Mullagrach, another of the Summer Isles.

But it was on Taransay that he made his name in Castaway 2000 when he spent a year on the island at the turn of the millennium. Based on the 1960s series Gilligan's Island, the 36 volunteers agreed to live together as an isolated community in what proved for many to be a life-changing experience. Taransay is made up of two islands connected together by a peninsula of sand with white sandy beaches, rugged cliff faces and heather moorland. The island has been inhabited since about 300 A.D. when it was home to Celtic pagans. Throughout history it has been the site of fierce battles including the Massacre of Taransay in 1544, when the Morrisons of Lewis invaded. At one time there were three villages on Taransay but the population dwindled, with the last remaining family moving to the mainland in 1974 when the island became principally a place for sheep grazing. The island extends to approximately 3,445 acres and was being sold in its entirety by brothers Norman and Angus Mackay.

Question: Which year 2000 BBC TV reality show was set on the Scottish island of Taransay?
Answer: CASTAWAY