FORGET a certain reality TV show featuring Jade, Kate and Johnny.

However disturbing you found it listening to Jade whingeing about her verruca, George Orwell's Big Brother is far more sinister.

1984 is set in a world where state control has become so widespread that it even has surveillance cameras in people's homes.

No matter where you are, Big Brother is watching you.

The state, or Big Brother, does not only police its citizens' behaviour but also their thoughts.

People's ability to express themselves is reduced, thanks to Big Brother's version of language and history is rewritten to suit the needs of the Party.

Winston Smith is one of the people responsible for tinkering with the history books but inwardly he rebels against the regime that controls him.

Against all the rules, he falls in love with Julia, a member of the Party's Anti Sex League.

The relationship is doomed from the beginning and can only lead to capture, interrogation and torture in Room 101.

The novel has now been adapted for the stage with the surveillance society of the 21st century in mind.

Theatre Royal, Winchester, November 19 - 23. Tickets: from £8. Box office: 01962 840440.