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Essex vs Chelsea: changing the face of reality TV

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The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) star Lauren Goodger and Made In Chelsea's Caggie Dunlop. TOWIE first aired in October 2010 and is now in its third season. Made In Chelsea is in its second season

Essex vs Chelsea: changing the face of reality TV


The gasp was audible in the ballroom of Grosvenor House when it was announced that the 2011 Audience Award Bafta was not going to critically acclaimed television dramas Downton Abbey or Sherlock but to a soap opera starring real people – young, spray-tanned nightclub promoters, beauticians and glamour models from satellite towns at the wrong end of the Central Line.

Structured reality, scripted reality or reality drama – nobody has decided on the name yet – is a genre that is growing fast. 

The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) star Lauren Goodger and Made In Chelsea's Caggie Dunlop. TOWIE first aired in October 2010 and is now in its third season. Made In Chelsea is in its second season
The success of TOWIE, as it’s now known, has spawned numerous imitators, notably Made In Chelsea, which focuses on the gilded, frequently guileless existence of the young, privileged elite frequenting the bars and eateries around London’s King’s Road.

Both shows follow the successful format established by The Hills and Jersey Shore in the U.S. 
There are no actors and no script. Instead, the producers talk to the cast about what they’ve been doing and how they’re feeling and, with a little help from the scriptwriters, scenes are staged and turned into glossy-looking drama. The turnaround is fast, the characters are cartoon-like and the dialogue is so wooden it’s in danger of catching Dutch Elm. 



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