John Redwood may not know the words to the Welsh national anthem but he's no fool. So when he was invited to spend a week living on a council estate for a reality television programme, he had the good sense to say no. Very wisely, he was not impressed by the claim from the producers that the show would "begin to heal the perceived gulf between politicians and the public".
He writes about the invitation on his blog. He also reveals that he once seriously considered taking part in one of these shows. Unfortunately the programme makers did not like his approach:
I was told they wanted me to run a fish and chip shop while the owner had a holiday. I thought about it, and agreed to the preliminary discussion. When I said I would use the presence of the TV to launch a marketing campaign, to swell the numbers using the shop they seemed a little worried. When I went on to say I would hire an extra staff member to handle the extra business, and give the existing staff a profit share as I expected a bumper week with the cameras around they said I would not be able to do that. I think they wanted a script where I was to fall out with the staff, not one where I would motivate them and help them earn a better paypacket.
