Benefits Street

[David Johnson]

I pitched this idea to Channel 4 today.

Basically it is set in a street in Chelsea. It's about the lifestyles of the main characters that include:

1. Archie. An investment banker working for one of the main banks. He got paid a huge bonus this year out of the money the Bank of England gave the high street bank as part of quantitative easing to try and get them to lend to small businesses. The bank used the money for "incentives" rather than lending.

2. Stephanie. A buy to letter. In the 80s she bought a number of ex-council properties in London from their previous tenants who had taken advantage of Maggie's flogging council houses plan. She has seen the value of her assets go up tenfold and as the housing crisis has worsened, her rents have increased substantially. But hey, housing benefit pays that.

3. Roger. Owns a large retail empire. Most of his staff are on zero hour contracts so he can avoid as much taxes as he can. Rarely pays over the minimum wage, but the government supplements that for his employees with working tax credits.

I must say Channel 4 weren't too keen. They seemed to think that it was far more important to have people that the audience could view as scrounging scumbags.

But they are on Benefits Street in Chelsea, aren't they?

[max_tranmere]

I saw that programme last night, I never saw the first episode last week but it apparently got 100's of complaints. I suspect last night's episode will too. There is certainly a lot of subsidy going on, with bank bail-outs, nepotism, tax cuts and everything else, for the super-rich. A lot of the wealth in Chelsea is what they call "old money", the area has a historic Royal connection and a lot of the money these families have is centuries old. Places like Highgate, Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Islington are, at least to a certain extent, "new money" and would be subject to all of this.

A lot of the people on that programme didn't seem to be on Benefit anyway, at least they didn't mention it. Through clever editing they cut down what would have been hundreds of hours of footage down to a few hours for the programme and by doing that you can create any kind of character you like. I would imagine many of the subject's are regretting agreeing to appear on it, now that they've seen two of the episodes, and would feel they've been misrepresented - just like the people from that Scunthorpe council estate did when that series "Skint" was aired last year.

[max_tranmere]

[David Johnson]

Yep, they won't be the first to get stitched up on a TV documentary. Apparently a number of them were told that it was going to focus on a street "with a strong, community spirit". Frank Skinner, the Brummie comedian who was contacted re. doing the voiceover, apparently was told the same thing.

My guess is that there a number of porn people who have been conned by documentary producers over the years to appear on TV on the grounds that it will be a fair portrayal of the business and then find out that it's a hatchet job.

[number 6]

Anyone remember when Channel 4 was a great channel? How times have changed.

[Arginald Valleywater]

The sad thing is the program IS accurate. In my line of work we have families who make the Brummies look like entrepreneurs....our support workers bang their heads against the wall when someone can't be arsed to turn up to a Job Centre interview but can walk another half a mile to "buy", in their own words "a big fuck off telly" in Shitehouse. Work is for losers in these people's eyes. Their heroes are the local drug dealers and thieves who do very little graft but drive an X5 or Shogun (big cars, big televisons, big sofas....there is a pattern developing...). The same people bring another kid into the world purely to boost their "income" sorry hard working tax payers money and expect us to pay for them. China has the right idea in limiting the number of kids so the state isn't bankrupted paying for ignorant people's mistakes. If you aren't working then use contraception like more responsible people do. And now over to DJ who will blame everying on Mrs T....

[cockneygeezer2009]

"The sad thing is the program IS accurate."

Yeah for about five per cent or less of people on benefits. Most people on benefits are very hardworking with children but can't make ends meet, so claim tax credits, housing benefit etc.

The programme makers had an agenda to find people on benefits and make them look as bad as possible. As DJ points out people who are loaded can behave badly too.

[David Johnson]

Your life always sounds like a living hell, Argie.

No wonder you are the most depressing person posting on here pouring out bile and hatred all over your fellow man. You make Scrooge look like Mr Blobby.

"The sad thing is the program IS accurate."

It's accurate in the sense that Harold Shipman was typical of doctors, Jeffrey Archer was typical of all politicians and Ronaldo is typical of all footballers.

It's dumb entertainment for the dumb generation.

You think that all the public sector workers, like you, who have lost their jobs are benefit scroungers? Do you think all the graduates who are up to their necks in debt and end up working in Costa Coffee because they can't get a job in the area they qualified in are scroungers? You think that all the kids who leave school don't want a decent job so they can afford to go for a few weeks holiday with their mates in summer and are scroungers?

Do try harder, Argie. Whether you are joking or being serious, it matters not. What is true is that you invariably talk complete arse.

Oh and get a different job or try going out with a woman. It might cheer you up. !wink!

[David Johnson]

.....or a man. Anybody who is as homophobic as you could well be harbouring some suppressed urges. I can't be the only person who has noticed your obsession with Beckham in his underwear adverts!

[croftie]

The programme was about one street not the whole country. I noticed that no money to live on but enough to smoke, drink, expensive mobile phones and plasma tv's.
This is not the majority but there are a percentage who bleed the system to the limit to suit their "personal" needs.
I am a pensioner and cannot affor to drink everyday, have a plasma tv but i dont moan or become a trotskyite to moan about this country like some.
Ps I am not homophobic Mr Johnson