Why has tawdry TOWIE ‘star’ been hired by BBC?
SHE’S the mouthy Essex girl who found fame on reality TV.
Now Gemma Collins is moving up in the world – with her very own BBC podcast.
But the decision to grant the 38year-old a taxpayer-funded platform to dish out ‘advice’ to listeners has prompted a swift backlash.
Two out of the three tawdry episodes released so far feature her burping, and in one of them she cautions listeners that university ‘is a waste of time’. In another, she says she is guided by ‘angel feathers’ and that hugging trees gives people ‘the most amazing energy’.
The brash blonde – who made a name for herself on The Only Way Is Essex – also delivered a lurid monologue about how her on- off boyfriend’s breath had been so bad she had vomited. ‘I wish I could have shown you my sick, literally… it was like a scene from Alien,’ she said.
The series is being heavily trailed across the BBC’s TV and radio platforms, including the supposedly highbrow BBC4.
It has led to licence fee payers berating the broadcaster for wasting their money – and reignited anger over the BBC’s decision to strip millions of over-75s of their free TV licences from next June. One viewer told the BBC’s Points of View programme: ‘I really object to my licence money being spent on Gemma Collins’ podcast! Whose idea was this?’ Another tweeted: ‘How many over75 pensioners are paying for the new free Gemma Collins podcast? This is a true outrage.’
Each episode of the podcast is delivered as a near-monologue. On one episode, Miss Collins warbles: ‘I think university is a waste of time… If you want to become a doctor, I’d say go… but for me…It costs an absolute fortune… nah. Sorry. Get out to work.’
The BBC said: ‘We’ve had a great response to the podcast with many of our young listeners finding her funny, relatable, and inspiring.’