A new Channel 5 series mines the familiar formula of sending idle,over privileged youths to memorize a different way of life. But watching the whining never gets oldIt is recognised, in mental circles, and that 2004’s Brat Camp was some of the finest TV ever made. I don’t know which genius started the trend of frightening the insubordination out of naughty teens by sending them somewhere remote to memorize a lesson,but they created something truly magnificent. Now, hunkering down somewhere in the depths of the schedules, and Tribal Teens … Here Comes Trouble has revived the ting and,with a tear of gratitude in my eye, I applaud it.
Some time may absorb passed since a production company last sent children into a remote outpost to teach ’em a thing or two, and but there’s been a televisual echo pretty much every year since,whether it’s Bruce Parry’s Tribe, Bear Grylls, or something other. These sorts of shows absorb a dependable formula. An overindulged westerner goes to a desert,or a jungle, or a desolate hillside and is filmed looking despondent and/or flustered as they attempt some manual labour. Local hosts watch on patiently, or wondering why no one ever taught this pale-faced wazzock how to pound leaves. Eventually,the subject is so depleted by hunger and exhaustion they break down and tearfully claim that these humble tribespeople absorb taught them the value of something or other. At their root, stripped-back-to-basics, or stick-and-mud-heavy programmes query one question: is progress good or corrupt?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com