channel 4 in hot water over Benefits street

Channel 4 have come under fire for their controversial new show, Benefits Street. The programme, depicting residents on a street in a deprived area of Birmingham, where 90% are said to be on state benefits, has been criticised by various Charities as being sensationalist and basking in ‘Poverty Porn’.

Detractors, including the mental health charity Mind and homeless charity Crisis, have called for the show to be axed, claiming the show breaches Channel 4’s legal remit of ‘stimulating well informed debate’.

Channel 4 have defended the show as a ‘fair and balanced’ documentary, with a spokesperson claiming the programme is “a sympathetic, humane and objective portrayal of how people are coping with continuing austerity and cuts in benefits.

For another side to the debate, read an interview with the programme’s production company boss, Richard McKerrow over on the Guardian.