Thursday, 09 February 2012

Celebrities experience joblessness on BBC programme

Thu, 25 Feb 2010

Back to work tsar and chairman of A4E, which rehabilitates the long-term unemployed, Emma Harrison is to appear in a new BBC TV series, Famous, Rich and Jobless where ‘unemployed’ celebrities will experience joblessness.

Celebrities, including Meg Matthews (Noel Gallagher’s ex-wife), actor Larry Lamb (Archie from EastEnders and also Gavin’s dad in Gavin and Stacey), gardener Diarmuid Gavin and ex-model and Society girl Emma Parker Bowles, will be sent into some of Britain’s most deprived areas, be stripped of their identities and live alone and unemployed in inner-city areas of Bristol, London, Manchester and Hartlepool on £9-a-day.

Harrison will tour the country mentoring them as they seek employment in their chosen trades. The celebrities’ final challenge will be to experience life with the long-term unemployed.

Readers' comments (4)

  • hazy | Tue, 9 Mar 2010 9:41 pm

    What a waste of time. Not at all realistic this is in no way how the unemployed live

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  • Alan | Tue, 9 Mar 2010 9:50 pm

    This programme is nothing like being on the dole. These four celebs have not even entered a dole office to seek work. Instead they are trawling the streets looking for a small chance of work for a day. If they do find work and it is over 16 hours for a week, then they have to inform the dole office, which effects their benefits rights or even force them to sign off. These celebs are not doing this. Plus living on £40 a week is not a single person's jobseekers allowance. I know for a fact it's £67 and you get your rent paid and a contribution to your energy bills. Plus you get crisis payments to buy suitable clothing for interviews, which is helped arranged for you by the job office.
    This is a total farce of a programme to convince Joe average how hard it is to find work, so they can stop calling the unemployed 'lazy'. When in truth it is not, you just can not be choosey.

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  • dan | Wed, 10 Mar 2010 2:12 pm

    LOL Fake whole show is a setup; all actors council estate seem to be right but you forgot the chavs, street gals on the corner how many bodyguards did they have on location in hackney i bet 4-5 hmmm.......?
    sick of bbc just lately

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  • Rob | Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:52 pm

    This Alan, geezwer is talking out his backside.

    The £40 was for 4 days... I get £64 quid a week with a percentage of mortage paid. NEVER has any of the doley idiots ever given me an allowance even though I have asked. You my friend are just misinformed. The dole office. Ha ha ha ha... go in there and see what is on offer...

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