Dr Desmond MorrisWORLD renowned anthropologist Desmond Morris admits he likes watching a good fight on the TV show Big Brother.

Dr Morris, who grew up in Swindon and is the author of the best selling book The Naked Ape, said he is fascinated with watching the contestants on the new series of the Channel 4 programme.

He says that while some people find the show depressing, offensive and tawdry, he feels it provides a valuable insight into human behaviour.

Saying sex on the show was over-hyped because nobody was usually up for it in front of the cameras, he eagerly awaits a mass brawl.

And the 77-year-old was disappointed when last year's widely-publicised scuffle ended prematurely.

"The thing I'm most interested in is when there is confrontation it's always fascinating because when there is confrontation the contestants forget the cameras," he said.

"But calling in security to stop it was a terrible thing to do I was very cross. They should not have interfered because the group would have resolved it themselves."

Although not exactly obsessed with the antics of the motley crowd of 13, Dr Morris, who now lives near Oxford, tries to tune in when he can.

"I like to see people who change," he said. "They go in brash and then their fragilities begin to show. It is this transfer I like to watch and then to see how much steel they have in their character.

"During the show you see the human personality stripped bare. For any serious student of human behaviour it is a very useful experiment. The only thing is it makes you very lazy as I'm here watching it rather than watching people in the field."

Dr Morris cited the shows magic formula as the reason it regularly draws seven million viewers. He blasted other reality shows such as The Farm and Celebrity Love Island for their poor re-hash of the Big Brother concept.

"The secret lies in the three way conflict of the show. They (the contestants) must compete for the prize money, be nice to one another to avoid nomination for eviction and at the same time entertain the public.

"This is all done in extreme isolation which adds to the interest. I think people who are obsessed with the programme are lacking in the sort of tribal grouping it offers. They adopt the group as a mini tribe and become part of it."

Dr Morris, who said he would never want to be a housemate, has turned down invites to cast his expert opinion live on the show.

When asked by the Adver who the eventual winner of this series would be, he said it was too early to tell.

"But on the basis of previous years I would expect somebody like the male belly dancer to win because he is not unintelligent and he is very quick witted," said Dr Morris, whose great grandfather William Morris founded the Evening Advertiser more than 150 years ago.

"I think the key is to be attractive and entertaining because it is the public vote which counts in the end."

Ben Payne