But we are not talking about other countries, we are specifically taking about a programme about Marbella. You think it was utter tosh, but you have failed to tell us why. Shouldn't be too difficult if it was that far off the mark, if it was all lies.
In another forum some of the comments included, from people in that area,

Perhaps they saw a different programme to you.

The thing is, ITV wouldnt have set out to make a programme that is true to Marbella. It is about entertainment and getting people to watch. They only went to Marbella because British people have heard about it so it is a draw for the audience. They probably paid some of the Z-list "celebs" to be there while they were filming.

They could have made the same programme about Milton Keynes or Inverness if they wanted.

Not sure why they wouldn't, but tell me what was untrue. According to you and the other guy, it was tosh, it was untrue. I don't know, but until you tell me what was lies, what was factually untrue about the programme, I'm not going to know. Having decided the programme was full of untruths, I just fail to see why you cannot enlighten me about the lies. All I got so far is that PM got the date of one of the shootings wrong. Big deal. I'm not saying the programme is factually correct, I don't know, it might well be a load of tosh, but so far nobody is giving us any facts. As I said, some thought the programme was not too bad, so what do you know that they don't?

Actually saw this. Far too many people with too much money and not enough intelligence.

How does that woman wipe her arse with nails like that? I loved their attitude that corrupt mayors were fine as long as they could get rich off their actions.

Google is my friend, so.

Within a few seconds I get this about the Costa Del crime.

From April 09.

"Three lawyers are suspected of laundering money for the Tambovskaya-Malshevskaya organisation

Three people allegedly linked to the Russian mafia have been arrested on the Costa del Sol, in another phase of Operación Troika led by National Court judge, Baltasar Garzón, which arrested 20 arrests people across the country last June".

This from June 09.

La Rupubblica claims there are links to the Camorra mafia.

An Italian newspaper has linked the expansion of the Costa del Sol with mafia clans from Naples.

‘La Repubblica’ claimed on Thursday that a large part of the building expansion seen along the Costa del Sol has come from companies with connection to the mafia in Naples, under the knowledge of local politicians in Spain.

Beday

The Japanese have them with warm are blowers to dry your rear region.

Money can buy anything.

Like I said in the other post, it`s not difficult to guess who would believe it.
There is no need to explain the truth, if you knew the area then you would understand most of it is media hype.
You must be really nieve if you believe the story writer on his ITV hired yacht.

Nieve? Snow?
Is that it? is that your best shot? You can prove what he said was rubbish, can you?? But even if we accept that one, that was about a minute or two of an hour long programme. But at least that's a start, anyone more gems like that? What about the other fifty odd minutes of the programme?

I thought the programme was fine. It went a bit into the "underworld" which there is a bit of, it went a bit into the "Nouveau riche", a bit into the normal "hen/stag" night brigade and into the history of how Marbella came to be. I thought it was interesting! The scenery and the "feel" of Marbella was all there!

I expected it to come across as far more exaggerated and exciting than it did. So I thought it was ok!

Jo xx

I started this thread when I saw the program advertised as I thought it may be of some interest to the people on this forum.

I worked in Marbella for about 4 years and to be honest it seemed like any other town in southern Spain, in the few years working there I never saw any crime like was spoken about on the program, yes it happened, like it happens in any large town, I think the point many are making is that the program focused on the crime and very rich, there are many "normal" people living in "normal" homes etc., in the Marbella area, also, the filming was around puerto banus, shame that they never filmed around the main streets of Marbella Town itself, or interviewed some of the residents and visitors to Marbella, guess that would not have made good TV.

Glad I watched it even if it was OTT, but guessed it would be

Just going back to the Vegas connection, I remember there was a plan to build a big casino city in Aragon..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8020523.stm

The link is from last year. Does anyone know if this complex is going ahead?

So the Costa Del Sol has a bit of an underworld.

That is like describing the worlds largest chocolate cake as contain a small amount of chocolate.

The Italian press informs people that Italian Mafia operates there.

The Russian press informs people that Russian Mafia operates there.

Recently one of Columbia's biggest drug connection gets arrested in Spain and lives there.

The Costa del Sol is world renowned as the Costa Del Crime.

Can we use the same arguement for Spain as the UK and comment all of it is hyped by the media, although some I fear may feel stupid for basing their move on getting away from crime and choosing Southern Spain.

Oooppps

My main excitement is for the interview of the Euesdens which appeared on the Piers Morgan Marbella exposé. See it on YouTube from minute 4.24. It includes this interesting statement from Mr Morgan as he is led around the palatial residence of the newspaper barons. 'Michel and Steven Euesden (...) they came here with next to nothing: started an expat newspaper from scratch...'.
Well, no. Not entirely. They acquired 'The Entertainer' newspaper from me in 1999 on a three-year buy out, failed to pay me in 2002, changing the name instead (but not, alas, the numeration) to Euro Weekly News.
It carries on '...and judging by what's in their garage (cue picture of Mercedes and Porsche), have done rather well for themselves'. Indeed so.
They are now actually suing me for bleating about this situation in public.

Finally watched it last night

Found it quite entertaining.. it was more of a Piers Morgan on Puerto Banus than Marbella and absolutely nothing to do with actually living and working here.. more of a holiday guide to Banus, the rich that occasionally turn up and a Z list of guests that come here on holiday and waste their money (great for the economy)

Smacked a lot of jealously; why can't people who have money drive their new Ferrari along the portside, why can't they own a summer house no matter what it costs, why can't they join a club to drive their cars somewhere special (although you can just go there and drive for 250-300€ on a trackday), why can't they drink expensive champagne in an expensive nightclub. Seems like people aren't happy when people spend money, surely that's what makes the world go round

Max Clifford got it dead right about Banus too, place has become a sleaze pit but the whores and drugs are a symptom of what the place has become not the cause of it being so bad. In the Summer the crowds of hammered hen/stag dos and kids of the rich and famous are a pain and the expensive clubs will obviously attract people with money. People with money are a soft target for prostitutes and drugs. Although I have to say that I've never seen anyone selling or been offered drugs there in all the times I've been down there.

Euesdens are just the Euesdens and always will be, not much to add there (well I'm sure Lenox will) - god bless 'em!

I think the absolute worst part about the program and the part that did the most damage was the crime writer (Wesley Clarkson) who seemed to be living in his own books not reality. Brothels and people shooting each other all the time just 20 yards from the beach?? Errrmm.. so there was one retaliation shooting about 18 months ago at Nikki Beach. The other three shootings were all in Neuva Andalucia (some 10km away from Marbella) and all to do with drug lords. I'm thinking that four shootings in six years isn't too bad and if it reduces the drug scene population in anyway I'm all for it

As to moving here to get away from crime.. well I've lived in sleepy villages and big cities in the UK and I've seen/heard about on the news more crime in a week in the UK than I have here in three years. Not saying it doesn't go on just that it's not in your face as some tv shows might suggest. As said already, it's a shame they didn't actually come to Marbella Town and speak to people here to get a better view of it (from that show you'd believe that Marbella Old Town stopped and then Banus started, not that it's 8km away!).. that wouldn't have made for sensational tv unfortunately

Last year I spoke to a friend of mine that helped the producers of the program setup a lot of the interviews/meetings. It was a total farce, he wrote this back in July -think it sums it up nicely:

Except taste and intelligence........