Why posh people make class acts on reality TV
‘I’m a Celebrity’ proves it’s still a case of toff love, says Michael Hogan, as Toffolo emerges as favourite to win
‘Is Boris still Foreign Secretary?” That was the lovably bumbling question asked by Stanley Johnson on Wednesday when he was voted out of ITV contest I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. The 77-year-old had spent 20 days in the jungle, becoming a firm fan favourite. Johnson recited poetry, claimed not to know who hosts Ant and Dec were, held his own in a spat with comedian Iain Lee and even gave us the giggles by breaking wind. He will be much missed, by his campmates and 10million viewers alike.
Meanwhile, Made in Chelsea socialite Georgia “Toff ” Toffolo – a girl so well-bred, it’s become her name – has been soldiering on through the show’s notoriously nauseating Bushtucker Trials. These have seen snakes lunge scarily at her face and Toff stoically drink blended camel teats, pigs’ testicles and crocodile anus. Deservedly, she’s now odds-on favourite to win Sunday’s final. It might be a jungle out there but it’s the upper-class lions roaring loudest.
There is a long, noble lineage of token toffs on I’m a Celeb. The tradition was started by the late Tara Palmer-tomkinson, then continued through the likes of Lord Brocket, Carol Thatcher, Jennie Bond, David Emanuel and Susannah Constantine.
They have a surprisingly strong track record, too. Thatcher was crowned Queen, while Bond, Emanuel and Tara P-T were all runners-up. Two years ago, Lady Colin Campbell looked a likely finalist until she was forced to withdraw on medical grounds.
So why do the well-heeled often rise to the top of the reality TV pile? Well, partly because the class-obsessed great British public enjoys watching them get down and dirty. Raised in boarding school dorms and crumbling country piles, they take communal sleeping and domestic discomfort in their stride. They’re outdoorsy and game for anything, they “muck in”, “crack on” and basically don’t whine and just get on with it. They’re also socially confident and immune to introspection or “I miss my hair straighteners” moaning. The wellto-do contestants are blissfully innocent. They’re far too busy throwing themselves into tasks with a no-nonsense attitude, ruddy cheeks and a cheery grin. Stanley Johnson’s parting words said it all: “Hey ho! It has been a joy.”
Originally, these upper-class contestants were cast on the assumption they’d create friction. Producers obviously hoped there would be a culture clash between the Essex footballer’s wife types and the out-of-touch blue-bloods. Sparks would fly, insults would be traded and TV gold would be mined. By rights, the audience should dislike them, too.
Happily, it turns out the opposite has been true. The token toffs’ hearty enthusiasm is infectious. They’re warm, and indisputably good value. They win over viewers, charm their campmates and form unlikely friendships – see Stanley’s sweet bromance with Boltonian boxer Amir Khan.
On reality TV, it seems, neither snobbery nor reverse snobbery apply. Whether salt-of-theearth or silver-spoon-in-mouth, you’ll be judged on your merits. Social class is no barrier and we’re one big happy British family. Let’s raise a glass of blended camel teats to that.