Don't tell the bride is on BBC institution

1. Human Behaviour
DON’T TELL THE BRIDE

2. Information
There had been fears that because BBC Three was moving online, the programme might be
cancelled.
First shown in 2008, Don't Tell The Bride follows the journey of different couples as the groom is
put in charge of planning their upcoming weddings.
According to BBC One Controller Charlotte Moore, the new look Don't Tell The Bride will still
"retain all the elements fans of the show love but re-imagined for a broad audience"
It's believed that to cater more for BBC One's target audience the show will feature older couples.
The budget for planning the wedding will remain at £12,000.
BBC Three content is modern, distinctive and relevant - though not exclusively - to our core 16-34
year old target audience. The tone of the channel is warm, personal and surprising with real take-
out value.

3. information…
Target audience:
- 16-34 year olds
- specifically women
Themes of narrative:
- weddings
- man plans the day ( the dress, venue, etc.)
- disaster
- love / romance
Phrases often used:
‘the most important day of her life’
‘the emotional journey of men who lack the maturity needed to commit’

4. About the programme
Genres - Reality television, Documentary
Created by - Jon Rowlands
Narrated by - Ruth Jones (Series 1) , Rebekah
Staton (Series 2–8) , Zoë Ball (BBC One)
Country of origin- United Kingdom
Original language(s) - English
No. of series- 8 (BBC Three) , 1 (BBC One)
No. of episodes - 83 + 21 specials (BBC Three) , 6
(BBC One)
Production company(s) - Renegade Pictures (part
of Shed Media)
Institution - BBC
Location(s) – Various
Running time - 60 minutes
Production company(s) - Renegade
Pictures (part of Shed Media)
Original channel - BBC Three (2007–)
BBC One (2015–)
Picture format - 16:9 576i (SDTV)
Original release - 8 November 2007 –
present

5. Format
Don't Tell the Bride' is a reality series where the groom is left the responsibility of
planning an entire wedding leaving his bride completely in the dark. The couple are
separated for a few weeks whilst the groom organises their wedding, choosing every
detail such as the venue, cake and wedding dress. The bride is not told what is going
on during the planning process.
The show's format consists of a couple who are given £12,000 (£14,000 in the BBC
One version) to spend on their wedding. However, they must spend three weeks
apart without contact, and the bridegroom must organise every aspect of the event
and attire, including the wedding dress, as well as the hen and stag parties,
surprising the bride.
Although the series mostly features heterosexual couples, one episode broadcast in
October 2010 featured a gay couple and another in November 2011 featured a
lesbian couple, both preparing for their civil partnership.

6. Representations
Women:
- role of brides, mothers, sisters, friends
- stereotypical representations of femininity, emotional and sensitive, most episodes
show clips of women crying also in some cases shown as neurotic/paranoid and as
perfectionist.
Men:
- groom, friends, father of the bride
- often made to look foolish, uninterested, inattentive, unorganised.
- stereotypical representations- lacking maturity although featuring mostly heterosexual
relationships, its also featured same sex couples.