That
was what the late, and very northern comedian and variety star, Billy
Russell, offered by way of an explanation as to why he watched Leslie
Crowther’s shows. I am willing to bet it’s why a lot of people
watch ‘The Real Housewives of Cheshire’.
I don't doubt they'd all hate me for saying it, but for
all their wealth and the purchases they make with it, I
find myself feeling a bit sorry for the women on this show. Not one
of them would look out of place puking up on the kerb outside a
Chester disco, but because they’ve acquired the sort of dosh most
people can only dream about, cameras now follow them shopping,
holidaying, and making scenes in expensive restaurants.
They
probably think it’s great to be rich and (relatively) famous. They
probably wanted nothing more when they were little girls, dressing up
in mummy’s heels and singing into their hairbrushes, and the
attention they now have in the glossy mags and gutter rags probably
feels like the real deal, but the only ‘reality’ is that every
Monday night of every season, people up and down the land switch on
their televisions to eavesdrop on their every belch,
f-bomb, and catfight.
Dawn,
Rachel, Leanne, Lauren, Seema, Stacey, Nermina, Ester, Tanya, and the
much missed Ampika and Magali present a perfect opportunity to
despise a pantheon of stereotypes: women, working-class-with-brass,
ex-strippers, lap-dancers, WAGs, northerners, and foreigners. It’s
all there.
 |
| Jubblies and bubbly - the irrepressible Ampika Pickston |
The
most frequent comment on the social media pages for this show is
“just proves money can’t buy you class.” Every time some
disapproving member of the public tweets this out, the programme
makers probably high-five each other in the production office.
On
the series 6 ‘reunion’ show, they were asked to put
their hands up if they had had a ‘boob job’. All but one honestly
and naïvely complied. You
could hear the derision up and down the land at their superficiality,
their tackiness, their 'Page 3' values, but these are women who have
used the tools they had to hand to climb out of the bucket, and
somewhere within all of them, I bet there’s a tiny, wistful wish
they hadn’t had to.
Unlike the kids on 'Made in Chelsea', these women did not enter the world with much in the way of advantages, so whilst I personally wouldn’t want the sort of things they buy with
their money, I can’t begrudge it to them. Especially when it’s
obvious they’re pretty generous with it, giving to charity and
treating their mates.
If
the show didn’t goad them into ‘entertaining’ situations, it’s
also pretty obvious that these are the sort of women who make the
most loyal and generous friends – as long as you don’t flirt with
their blokes or slag off their kids. Back when they had less money, I
can easily see Tanya, or Dawn, or Lauren, or Leanne making a poorly
friend a stew and taking it over to their house with a cheery: “bring
the bowl back when you’re feeling better” - even if it was the
only one they had.
Now
of course, they pay someone to cook it and send their driver over
with it, but some things never change, and the base material is still
there. Daffy, funny little Tanya particularly.
But
of course, that doesn’t make good television.
‘The
Real Housewives of Cheshire’ is demonisation of the working class
with diamonds, and frankly, it stinks.
©
Emmeline Wyndham - 2017
