So I open the Daily Mail newspaper the other day and was horrified to read the headline..."Here's another ghastly reality show - Get ready for Desperate Scousewives..."
Being a Scouser born and bred in Liverpool, I dread to think what kind of a show I'm going to watch, how my city, that I love and take pride in, is going to be portrayed to the rest on the country...again!
Liverpool does have its larger-than-life characters and that's what I love about it. Everybody loves to laugh, and life in Liverpool is for living, but it it does concern me that put in the hands of a production team, we could be judged from a minority who are hungry for fame at any expense.
I will be watching the show...and probably through my fingers. I imagine like the rest of the city I will be cringing at these so called 'Desperate Scousewives' who will make a mockery of us Liverpool ladies. We Scouse girls do like to dress up for any occasion and glamour is a keen feature on the streets of the 'pool, but there are always those who want to be noticed at any length and will go completely over the top. So Essex be warned, you're about to have some competition, as I know only too well these girls will be dripping in false tan, false eyelashes, big hair, high heels and outfits that are not to be missed!
Over the years we've had many TV shows based in or about the city and there is great talent in Liverpool, from the script writers to the actors, to all those behind the scenes, and some shows have managed to give a real insight in to the homes and lives of Scouse families.
The longest and most popular show was Brookside of course. It began with real storylines and interpreted Liverpool families and characters in a true-to-life fashion. At the age of 12, I had a small part in the soap and played the character of Siobhan who was a friend of Katie Rogers. The Rogers family were a big hit on 'The Close'. For me to turn up there and be part of the cast as well as in the green room and canteen with the actors and actresses, made me so star struck! I was amazed at how these TV personalities who I had watched at home for years were all of a sudden playing ball with me on that very close that was shown in homes around the country.
I loved my time there - I learned so much from these great actors and how being part of a hit TV show hadn't affected them or their down-to-earth roots. Those larger-than-life characters were very much a part of the success behind the Channel 4 soap. From window cleaner Sinbad to Harry Cross to Sheila and Bobby Grant, they were typical people that I would see and know from growing up in such a vibrant city.
I was sad when they began trying to compete with other shows and boost their ratings as Brookside lost the 'realness' that was loved about the show, and instead brought in over-the-top story lines and began to show the city in a different light that made so many of us turn off and lose respect for a soap we had grown up with.
Then there was Bread which was a very funny series and I think they took those characters and made them bigger than ever. I have to say I never remember any women having an ornamental chicken on the kitchen table and saying "put your money in the pot", nor do I know of any Scouser who insisted on walking the streets with a whistle! Although to me this wasn't real life but comedy and The Boswells were known and loved across the country. Again, these were talented actors creating these characters very well with a great script to match.
In recent years we've seen the glamorous side of Liverpool shown in another hit soap Hollyoaks with beautiful actors and actress showing different dynamics, depicting young people in education with bigger aspirations then some of these earlier shows. Although the series is set in Chester, it is produced by Lime TV (once known as Mersey TV) and does film in and around Liverpool and have a lot of Liverpool connections.
When mixing with different people from different cities there is always that sense that people make an assumption about you from the way TV has portrayed us over the years. I'm very often greeted with "calm down, calm down!" which doesn't really offend me, as again, I like to think we can laugh at ourselves - we've been the brunt of many a joke over the years. But I have to say sometimes it is a little unfair when we are labelled with stereotypical slogans, when as a city we have so much more to offer.
The reason behind my fear of this up-and-coming show is that there isn't a proper script that has taken time and talent to produce. They are not actors or actresses given their shot at a long-awaited career. Instead, it's cheap TV and my initial worry is that to get ratings these days it's all about shock tactics, and the 'characters' will be happy to oblige.
I will be tuning in to 'Desperate Scousewives' and fingers crossed I'm wrong and will sit back watching with pride...although some how I very much doubt it!