The Great British Benefits Handout
Discussion
I'm surprised we've not had any comment on this new short series. I thought there was a thread on the News and Politics forum, but I can't find it with the search facility.
Yet another of Channel 5's programmes where we get to laugh at the lifestyle and incompetence of the underclass, but with a twist. They've been asked to sign-off benefits and given the equivalent annual sum of £26k in cash, and told to show some semblance of self-discipline and intelligence. Some hope. There are 3 families involved, and at the close of last night's show, one had done nothing at all, apart from paying-off Brightside, one had investigated opening a second-hand shop but got baffled by the complexity of a start-up, and one had such advanced plans that they'd spent all but £9k in the first week.
I was hoping that the older couple, who wanted the used furniture emporium, would at least spend 50p on a supermarket own-brand bottle of bleach for their bog. Planning to knock through walls in their house would be best reported to the council first, IMHO.
The man who wanted to begin a kids party enterprise had big plans, too big. Do you need some sort of licence to keep a raccoon? What about liability insurance? Did he actually have any bookings?
Last family - single mum, helping her kid with homework at the breakfast table. Maybe it could have been done the night before?
I'm as bad as most people watching this stuff. I criticise, yet still tune in. I reckon it's the modern equivalent of the Victorians going to laugh at the inmates at Bedlam.
Yet another of Channel 5's programmes where we get to laugh at the lifestyle and incompetence of the underclass, but with a twist. They've been asked to sign-off benefits and given the equivalent annual sum of £26k in cash, and told to show some semblance of self-discipline and intelligence. Some hope. There are 3 families involved, and at the close of last night's show, one had done nothing at all, apart from paying-off Brightside, one had investigated opening a second-hand shop but got baffled by the complexity of a start-up, and one had such advanced plans that they'd spent all but £9k in the first week.
I was hoping that the older couple, who wanted the used furniture emporium, would at least spend 50p on a supermarket own-brand bottle of bleach for their bog. Planning to knock through walls in their house would be best reported to the council first, IMHO.
The man who wanted to begin a kids party enterprise had big plans, too big. Do you need some sort of licence to keep a raccoon? What about liability insurance? Did he actually have any bookings?
Last family - single mum, helping her kid with homework at the breakfast table. Maybe it could have been done the night before?
I'm as bad as most people watching this stuff. I criticise, yet still tune in. I reckon it's the modern equivalent of the Victorians going to laugh at the inmates at Bedlam.
Edited by nicanary on Wednesday 10th February 09:25
I'm beginning to get the impression that Tony and his missus are a little bit ...well...for want of a better word.....er..... simple. They behave like kids with no clue. He really doesn't know what he wants to do or how to go about anything at all. Getting a van, yes, but what are you going to do with it? Can't do boot sales with no stock.
As for the party man, well he's going to be skint in the next 2 months. He's got some bookings, but a few hundred quid won't pay the rent. council tax, food, utilities etc.. His wife is rightly scared. Doesn't help when he buys a C4 Picasso for the business which clearly won't be big enough to carry his bouncy castles and animal cages.
As for the party man, well he's going to be skint in the next 2 months. He's got some bookings, but a few hundred quid won't pay the rent. council tax, food, utilities etc.. His wife is rightly scared. Doesn't help when he buys a C4 Picasso for the business which clearly won't be big enough to carry his bouncy castles and animal cages.
DSLiverpool said:
nicanary said:
I'm beginning to get the impression that Tony and his missus are a little bit ...well...for want of a better word.....er..... simple. They behave like kids with no clue. He really doesn't know what he wants to do or how to go about anything at all. Getting a van, yes, but what are you going to do with it? Can't do boot sales with no stock.
.
Quite clearly these two have a mild learning disorder and shouldn't be part of the programme. .
Jim the Sunderer said:
Scouse Raoul Moat is around the twist.
Surely all those creatures can't be shown together, they'll eat each other.
I feel sorry for his wife. She's been warning him for some time, but he keeps talking over her. This will end in many tears, but at least he can drive, unlike Tony "the dealer".Surely all those creatures can't be shown together, they'll eat each other.
Halb said:
Jim the Sunderer said:
Scouse Raoul Moat is around the twist.
Surely all those creatures can't be shown together, they'll eat each other.
This sounds bizarre....Surely all those creatures can't be shown together, they'll eat each other.
I wanna watch it....
He should take his Burl Ives soundtrack with him.
I want to see the RSPCA pay a visit so those poor animals can be saved before they get stage-struck.
Probably borderline ginger. Nice to see them hold a successful event, but they're going to have to organise one every week to maintain the business.
Tony may lack confidence when dealing with bureaucracy and officialdom, but he's got good patter and rapport with his kind of customer. I reckon he ought to stick to boot sales - I don't think he could cope with running a shop. I couldn't reconcile the figures the programme quoted - he took £130 at the boot sale and they said this was more than he had left to live on when he was on benefits. But they didn't mention that this £130 would have to pay his rent and council tax etc..
Single mum bought 2 ducks, with apparently no access to water. And I thought she was the bright one.
I have a feeling that at least 2 families will be back on benefits after the 12 months is up - single mum still jobless, and Tony realising that he isn't making enough from the business. Although scouser was apparently a tosser, oddly enough things could work out. It helps that his missus is pretty savvy.
Tony may lack confidence when dealing with bureaucracy and officialdom, but he's got good patter and rapport with his kind of customer. I reckon he ought to stick to boot sales - I don't think he could cope with running a shop. I couldn't reconcile the figures the programme quoted - he took £130 at the boot sale and they said this was more than he had left to live on when he was on benefits. But they didn't mention that this £130 would have to pay his rent and council tax etc..
Single mum bought 2 ducks, with apparently no access to water. And I thought she was the bright one.
I have a feeling that at least 2 families will be back on benefits after the 12 months is up - single mum still jobless, and Tony realising that he isn't making enough from the business. Although scouser was apparently a tosser, oddly enough things could work out. It helps that his missus is pretty savvy.
Mcphisto said:
I had to laugh at the editing when Tony was saying he had some class stock and they showed some weird cat watch.
Good luck to him in his driving test, I suspect a few disapointments are on the horizon........and I don't meen his wifes tache growing back quicker than his!
That Scott bloke is punching above his weight, his wife is sensible and actually pretty hot.
He called the cat watch "quality". Like the shire horse models fresh off the boat from China. I smiled when he was discussing his future business model with the show's financial expert - "take that ring, I buy it off you for £20 but it's worth £80, see?". I think Cash Converters had better watch out. Tony has discovered a whole new avenue to wealth and riches.Good luck to him in his driving test, I suspect a few disapointments are on the horizon........and I don't meen his wifes tache growing back quicker than his!
That Scott bloke is punching above his weight, his wife is sensible and actually pretty hot.
Edited by Mcphisto on Tuesday 1st March 23:53
Edited by Mcphisto on Tuesday 1st March 23:54
I was disappointed to see him fob off his wife when she suggested jobs to do around the house - that points to a typical work shirker. I still fear for them - his wife's new job turned out to be 2.5 hours per day, probably on or near minimum wage. If he only does one boot sale per week, they simply will not have enough income to pay their way. I have a feeling that they still didn't know they had to register with the tax office, and start at least minimum voluntary NI contributions. Paperwork wasn't their forte.
Single mum had paid off her debts, paid rent in advance etc., but wasn't making much effort to find employment. She needs to get a banger up her jacksy - time flies by very quickly when you're complacent.
I agree that the scousers' Family Day was probably arranged with some assistance, but at least it's a viable business proposition - he's the last person I thought would "make it". The church hall was a freebie, and he'll have to take that into account when calculating his costs, but one of those a week, plus maybe a kid's birthday party, and he should be able to make a living.
baldy1926 said:
Wow so far, i never expected the animal scheme to work. He certainly has changed his life
I hold my hands up and admit I was wrong. Of the 3 families, I thought he was going to be the biggest waster. Remember the raccoon fiasco? Seems he knew what he was doing and has established a thriving concern. Good on him. Sub-contracting work and still making £30k pa.Laurel Green said:
Rachel is still looking for a job. 
Presumably there are no care homes in the area. Every town and city in the UK has care homes screaming for staff - sometimes they're the only jobs available in our local paper. Problem is usually zero-hours contracts and the thought of wiping an old man's a*se for a living. However, it's a job, and I can't believe she couldn't find one.
)£1120 on botox! How proud she must feel. Plus the younger woman gives her mate £200 because she can't make it to the celebratory dinner. This is the programme that keeps on giving.
Having said that, the last series produced someone who made it, and another who was happy enough with the modest business he created. Time will tell.
Having said that, the last series produced someone who made it, and another who was happy enough with the modest business he created. Time will tell.
DSLiverpool said:
Laurel Green said:
The hair salon girl has spent over 5K with nothing yet to show for it - not looking good for her.
They should be psych evaluated before getting the cash as she looks like she has major confidence issues. Loved Botox Lady and her thrill at turning over £169. She forgot that the stock she'd sold had cost her £90, and she'd had to pay £40 to rent the stall. I applaud her enthusiasm but that's about all. Why did she take the stock out of plastic covers that the wholesalers had provided? They got wet.
e21Mark said:
£26k isn't going to convert that tatty shop into a salon. It would need to be pretty special to encourage anyone to rent s chair in a shop with no track record. As said above, she should rent a chair elsewhere and get some experience. Ignoring letters/bills isn't ideal for someone looking to open a business is it?
Glamorous grandad Lorainne is like a kid playing shop. She hasn't given a second thought to the practicalities of running a stall selling velour tracksuits and fake fur gilet. Oh and fags.
For the time being, my money's on the mobile tanning salon and would-be HGV driver. They seem pretty sensible and prepared to graft - can't have been easy caring for their disabled son all those years, but I was wondering who was going to look after his needs if they're working.Glamorous grandad Lorainne is like a kid playing shop. She hasn't given a second thought to the practicalities of running a stall selling velour tracksuits and fake fur gilet. Oh and fags.
Lorraine is a moron. The hair stylist has just got carried away by the thought of her own salon, needs to be told the truth, but glamorous granny is never going to get a regular income from that market stall. It takes years to build up that sort of business and she's treating it all like a Sunday car boot sale.
More dubious spending by Lorraine - a second-hand smartphone for a child still in nappies.
PS just seen the part where's she's in the taxi down the East End pointing out where she slept when she'd run away from the kids home. I really don't think she was playing up to the camera - she has clearly had a really chequered past and I reckon those memories were bad ones. Now we know what we do about kids homes in the 50s-70s I think she may well be holding back a story. I think I might stop being b
hy about her for a while. Poor b*gger.
PS just seen the part where's she's in the taxi down the East End pointing out where she slept when she'd run away from the kids home. I really don't think she was playing up to the camera - she has clearly had a really chequered past and I reckon those memories were bad ones. Now we know what we do about kids homes in the 50s-70s I think she may well be holding back a story. I think I might stop being b
hy about her for a while. Poor b*gger.Edited by nicanary on Thursday 2nd March 21:46
Mother of 6 kids intends to open a sandwich shop. Would it really support such a large family?
Mother of 4 kids wants to open a shop selling bespoke kids' dresses. Depends how affluent the area is, but I know women who've tried this, and the rent and rates come to more than the turnover. No way the profit would support a family.
Got to give them credit for trying.
Mother of 4 kids wants to open a shop selling bespoke kids' dresses. Depends how affluent the area is, but I know women who've tried this, and the rent and rates come to more than the turnover. No way the profit would support a family.
Got to give them credit for trying.
Just watching the third family - apparently if you're not working you lose the ability to bring the kids toys in from the garden. I really feel for them.
The bespoke kids dresses might work if the shop's in Alderley Edge. Otherwise it's almost guaranteed to fail, although to be fair she's going to start by selling on the net.
The bespoke kids dresses might work if the shop's in Alderley Edge. Otherwise it's almost guaranteed to fail, although to be fair she's going to start by selling on the net.
Laurel Green said:
nicanary said:
The bespoke kids dresses might work if the shop's in Alderley Edge. Otherwise it's almost guaranteed to fail, although to be fair she's going to start by selling on the net.
Isn't she living in Basildon? There's a great big travelers camp just up the road from there.The couple buying the food bar don't seem to have asked to see the accounts. It would give them an idea of what sort of income to expect.
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