Hotscot

Was thinking of downloading it somewhere. It seems to be stirring up some folks back home.

dunroving

Over 4m viewers. It's set not far from where I grew up. I didn't watch it but from the reviews and previews, it's a mix of peurile voyeurism dressed up as "honest documentary"

As long as people realise this is the worst side of living on beefits and not an accurate prtrayal of "typical benefits recipients" I thik it is probably a reasonable documentary.

hoffage123

I haven't watched it. Guessing it is along the same lines as 'Skint', another C4 documentary tarring all benefit claimants with the same brush.

Hoffage

scrubbedexpat099

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeeh...nefits-street/

Worth a read, not that anything will change.

yukichon

I watched it, and although it's probably not typical, it still depicts societies worst grot-bags....and makes me feel glad that my children will not be raised in that sort of environment.

Pulaski

This.

I wonder if feathers are involved, because they should be!

The problem is that people can't see that the 5p/hr they get paid over what they get in benefits is only a stepping stone to better paid work in future. It is not only a problem for people on benefits, but affects many people as they move up the career ladder. I was paid more labouring in a warehouse as a student than I was for the following five years in my career job after graduating. Then I changed to another job without paid overtime, and it was another 13 months, and a second job switch, before I was back to the same level of pay, but within three years, and another job switch my pay had doubled. But all this required that I leave the "well paid" warehouse job and work for less money, knowing that it was the way to well paid roles in future.

hoffage123

Ok - I just watched it.

It was really difficult watching it. I tried to have sympathy for the characters involved but found it hard to. There was one (Smoggy) who seemed like a decent guy. The rest of them just seemed oblivious to the mess and chaos of their lives, endorsing criminality as a justification for the Government not 'paying' them their money.

I do think Channel 4 could have aired a more representative sample of people and included those who were actually working ... the title 'Benefit Street' is a bit unfortunate also.

I grew up in a similar area in Birmingham, and lived amongst people of a similar background (not my family who all work but the people living in the area) so I can see arguments on both sides; bit of a vicious circle if you get stuck there, unless you are very motivated to improve your lot and try to avoid the wasters that are out there waiting to drag you down.


Hoffage

BritInParis

Channel 4 is getting quite the reputation for producing these 'documentaries' which are essentially Victorian freak shows dressed up as 'human interest' stories. They usually feature people with rare medical diseases which cause terrible disfigurements. This is the channel that first aired Big Brother nearly 15 years ago now and it's been downhill ever since. Did the trick though, their ratings are through the roof, must keep the advertisers happy.

Sally Redux

It started out as a channel dealing with contentious issues. Unfortunately the advertisers weren't happy with that.

dunroving

Prior to Benefits Street the highest viewership last year was for The Man With The Two Stone Testicles (that's 14 lb, not two testicles made of stone). Quality stuff.

[Edit: Just checked online and they were 10 stones]

BritInParis

It's a real pity because they still do a lot of good stuff. Channel 4 News and Dispatches are both excellent. Unlike the BBC though, no licence fee money, so presumably they have to make their money putting out this rubbish to fund the rest.

Mitchell and Webb did a couple of spot-on sketches about these types of programmes:

The Boy with an Arse for a Face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9al-mpqXjc

The Man with 19 Penises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkwmPw54MZ4

scrubbedexpat099

I have not watched an Episode, did see some samples and that was enough.

They was a discussion about it on several BBC programmes including Question Time, having watched the BB2 Immigration 2 parter, I could not see what was that different.

For most people of course there is no ladder, and the basic issue will I expect get worse.

I found some of the comments slightly amusing, the BBC2 programme was interviewing children of Bangladeshi immigrants I think, who were complaining about East European new arrivals taking jobs. They the cut to some Indian Restaurant Association wanting easier access to cooks as there was a shortage?

kimilseung

I. was under the impression that C4 was under a restrictive charter, to stop them making any old tat, programming for minority audiences being one area they are required to be involved. I have no idea how adherence to their charter was or is overseen.


I think it got a bit rewritten in some law in 2010, maybe that opened the door to more crap.

scot47

First episode focussed on two petty criminals who live by shoplifting. It was not a critical look at living on Benefits.