Top 10 British TV Shows That Need To DIE

Before we dissect the social and moral misdoings of other shows, let’s start off with the simple issue of health and safety. Well, we say simple, but regardless of how vigilant you are, some people are just asking for it. “The Jump” sees a bunch of celebrities trying to learn dangerous winter sports, causing countless controversial accidents on set, including dislocated shoulders and torn ligaments. Despite constant talks of cancellation, it’s still trudging on.

Our Orwellian fascination with reality TV has been stretched thin over the years. We’ve been reduced to watching people watch tv with “Gogglebox”, and with this show we oversee someone else's dinner party. Not only is the format incredibly uninspiring, but most of the time the guests are blatantly overacting, or they’re just plain annoying. And the sarcastic voice over knows it. And the competition's flawed anyway. Give others low ratings and you win, basically.

When this show started up it seemed like everyone forgot about every other sitcom that had existed before it, welcoming it with open arms and showering it with praise. But come on, surely this should've ended a long time ago. There’s a few one liners here and there, but essentially it’s just a rehashed version of every other toilet humour sitcom. And a lot of people have got onto it, especially “Father Ted” fans who reckon it’s a blatant rip off.

You can’t beat a bit of Ant & Dec, but this show seems to feel more and more forced with every passing series. The all singing, all dancing, haphazard format tries too hard to be ‘big show’ glamourous, but doesn’t offer much in terms of outwardly original, generally entertaining content… Obviously the presenter pair get away with it because, well, they’re Ant & Dec, but given Ant’s well publicised off-camera problems, it might be best for everyone if they take a break with this one.

Remember when talent shows were all about talent? Yeah, those were the days. Unfortunately, in their growing numbers and with a greater emphasis on what the media can sell, it’s not just about talent anymore - and Simon Cowell’s “The X Factor” is the worst offender. Exaggerated sob stories, guest judges looking to boost their rep, camera reactions to bad auditions from appalled audience members... It turns into more of a circus with every passing year, and it's just getting a bit silly.

It’s a proven point that people love soap operas - “EastEnders” and “Coronation Street” are still hugely popular. So why single out “Hollyoaks”? Well, aside from the bad acting and the fact that the show’s latest incarnation has forgotten its British roots in favour of Hollywood glam (just watch the promos), “Hollyoaks” has a tendency to always assume the worst of younger generations. Yes, soap operas are all about drama, but this show takes topics like suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse, and usually trivialises them.

Based on format alone, this show is pretty dire. Man flaunts himself in front of thirty women, they critique him and decide whether they want to go on a date with him. It’s all very superficial and at times cringey as hell to watch. Not even the disapproval stage is dignified, with the women simply pressing a big red button to say no thanks! It's almost impressive that they're still making prime-time tele out of it.

To a show that’s unplanned, yet predetermined, and unscripted yet… scripted. If that uncertainty isn’t enough to put you off, then maybe its frustratingly stereotyped cast will be. Following the relationships of a group of average Essex residents, TOWIE is similar to American shows like “Jersey Shore”, although we’re not quite sure the format works in the UK. And due to its studio-influenced storylines, the melodramatic breakups and teary finales are just a bit wooden - and all the so-called unexpected plot twists just don’t convince.

When “Big Brother” initially launched people went crazy for it. Strangers, cooped up in a house, learning how to press each other’s buttons. But it didn’t take long for a celebrity spin off to spawn. True, it can be entertaining to watch famous folk go at each other, but how many of them actually even count as celebrities? The show is just a platform used by fading B listers to take a crack at a secondary career in the limelight, or to bag an easy payout.

We all love a bit of gossip. But “The Jeremy Kyle Show” takes stories of money, sex and drugs involving the supposed average joe and exploits them. Although Jeremy Kyle genuinely helps some of his guests - and we can't deny that some encounters on the show are hilarious - it still remains that its main draw is ogling at people in emotional distress. We're better than that, aren't we?