Benefits Street star calls for TV companies to ease off programmes about benefits
Benefits Street star White Dee has called for TV companies to ease off on programmes about benefits.
Her comments follow the screening of a new TV programme titled 'Breadline Brummies' which is part of Channel 5's 'On Benefits' season.
Dee, whose real name is Deirdre Kelly, was one of the main residents featured on the series "Benefits Street" shown on Channel 4 in 2014.
It followed people living on benefits in Birmingham's James Turner Street over a 12 month period and attracted widespread media attention.
The Birmingham resident says "There are so many programmes like this out there now that viewers know what they are going to get."
"Back in the day, things weren’t like that but every ten minutes now there’s another programme on."
“Very often a programme will still make people out to be rinsing the system and not have a care in the world."
“They don’t show people who are looking for a job and get one so that you can have a real feel-good factor, because it’s all about ratings.
“Too often they show people who are happy to be on benefits and who will be on them until the day they die."
After the series, Dee was in demand to appear on television talk shows, was flown out to host parties in Magaluf, spoke at a Tory Conference Fringe event and she also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother.
She says there's no excuse now for participants themselves to complain after a transmission because "they know what they're going to get,”