Reactions

The Guardian's verdict on "Famous, Rich and Jobless" was scathing. They called it "the latest example of celebrity tourism" and I agree. I haven't had the chance yet to watch the programme which followed it at 10.35 - I hope it's on iplayer. But my reaction last night was based on relief that it wasn't as bad as it threatened to be.

All of us with bitter experience of being out of work know that 4 celebs pretending to be unemployed for 4 days was going to be superficial at best. But they did confront the reality that was so different from their preconceptions. If many of us were wondering when they would be told about the way the benefits system works, let's remember that most people have no idea, and would have been surprised that 16 hours of work means that you lose all your benefits. Of course, it would have been better if they'd gone further and shown that it's not actually possible to live on casual work; that the cash-in-hand work that two of the celebs got was not only illegal, but meant that they would end up without NI contributions and be penalised later in life.

Many of us would have cheered on Larry Lamb as he reacted to Emma Harrison's patronising characterisation of the unemployed. But we would also have challenged his cheerful attitude to living on the dole. Yes, we can survive on £39 for 4 days. But what happens when the phone bill comes in; when it's someone's birthday, or a wedding, and you can't buy a present; when there's a social function you can't go to? The introduction of Fiona, a real person, was the antidote to this silliness. She is living on cheap bread because she can't afford proper food. And a part-time job in Asda is impossible for her to take.

I don't look forward to tonight's episode, when the celebs go to stay in the homes of real people. That looks like being "celebrity tourism" at its worst.

Famous, Rich and Jobless, Part One

It was actually nowhere near as bad as I expected.

It started predictably. The four celebs had all the preconceptions about anyone being able to get a job, lots of people fiddle the system, etc. But the reality was different. Meg, Emma and Gavin all managed to find work (did that have anything to do with the camera being there?). When, we wondered, were they going to be confronted with the reality of the benefits system? They were. When Craig Last explained to Meg that she had worked for 16 hours and would have to hand back the £39 they'd been given at the start, Meg refused and became a benefits cheat. Emma Harrison explained the situation to Dermot, who had also worked more than 16 hours. He says that in that situation he would not tell the Jobcentre and would break the law.

Larry Lamb was the most fun. He knew he had no chance of getting a job, so idled, congratulating himself on being able to manage on the money. The confrontation with Emma Harrison came on the beach at Hartlepool. Emma pointed out that the money is job seeker's allowance. When they have walked away from each other, Emma says that she meets people like him so many times, trapped in the system, but she's shocked and fascinated that he's become so in two days. Larry calls it "patronising bullshit". The Asda application form that he hasn't yet filled in gets completed on behalf of the lady he meets who is the tenant of the house he's in. She is out of work, and can't live on the £64 per week that she gets.

It could have been a lot worse.

Back to Work Tsar

We can expect more of this. The Digital Spy site has a piece to whet the appetite for the "Famous, Rich and Jobless" programme which begins next Tuesday. Poor old Larry Lamb got it in the neck from Emma: "[Larry] just came up with a host of excuses not to engage with what we were trying to do," Harrison commented. "He hadn't earned a penny and he didn't even make an effort to try and find work. Trying to demonstrate to him the harsh truths of unemployment was exasperating." But it's the next paragraph which is disturbing. "Harrison is the founder of employment agency A4e and is currently working as the government's 'Back to Work Tsar'." She's what? Really? When did that happen? What have I missed?