Contestants were encouraged to pair up

Loft Story created a wave of controversy when it first aired in France in April 2001 as a group of men and women went into house with the aim of finding a mate.

Morality campaigners were up in arms that young people were being encouraged to pair off with the promise of big francs at the end.

Avant garde

There was picketing and rioting outside the television studios as people accused TV executives of keeping people locked in like chickens.

But the show gripped the nation as audiences of up to 10 million tuned in to catch up with the antics such as naked hot tub frolics.

"Cahiers du Cinema is most closely associated with the directors of the French new wave such as Jean Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut, but rarely has it done something as avant garde as this," said BBC correspondent James Coomarasamy.

"The decision is sure to upset French cinema purists but it does reflect the amazing response the show had in France."

Household names

Hundreds of protesters tried to break into the set

Such was the impact of Loft Story, and the subsequent demonstrations, the French broadcasting authority stepped in to limit the amount of time cameras could film to maintain "human dignity".

The show mirrored the UK's Big Brother by turning its contestants into household names, particularly winner Loanna.

Once she left the confines of the loft she and her co-winner Christophe had to move in together for 45 days in order to win the show.

Newspapers were full of critical debates about the fall in television standards.

"And while French intellectuals may have bemoaned the arrival of reality TV, the Cahiers du Cinema poll suggests not only were some of them watching the programme, they were enjoying it as well, " added Mr Coomarasamy.