OMG, No.
It seemed that nobody truly knew what to expect when OMG with Peaches Geldof aired on ITV2 last night. Anticipated and promoted for months, the basis of the show seemed to go through several transformations, the final result bearing no resemblance to what anybody was led to believe it would be, and perhaps casting off any sense of credibility it might have held along the way. I was fortunate to be privy to the original pitching of the show- “Kind of like the Tyra Banks show”, “A little like Jerry Springer” and “an advice and guidance show for teenagers with problems” all conjured images of a youth-orientated Jeremy Kyle, and I personally began to anticipate Peaches storming across a stage littered with pregnant chavs and pill-popping adolescents, screeching the correct spelling of contraception. Perhaps part of the confusion arose from the media itself- were they simply fed the idea of Peaches as an agony aunt, or did they run amok with a rough idea that ITV2 simply couldn’t keep their mouths shut about? Even as the studio shows were filmed, nobody- not the director, not the producers, not even Peaches herself- seemed to know what the show was supposed to be, what it was intending to achieve. Evidently, this confusion pervaded through the editing and production side of the show, too.
The show opened with Peaches seemingly inviting us into the unsettling underworld of the UK’s weirdest and most wonderful people, luring us in with mentions of secrets and strangeness that would, as the title so loudly announces, make viewers gasp O-M-G (I’ve never in my life heard anyone say oh em gee in ‘real life’, except for in relation to this programme). The show almost instantaneously sputtered to life, or rather was dragged, kicking and screaming, to us, with Peaches’ rushed, almost double-speed introduction laden with puns and less than subtle hints about this weeks topic. I find it difficult to criticise Miss Geldof at the best (read as: most obnoxious) of times, mostly because I’ve learned to draw a clear line between Peaches the person and Peaches the forced-into-TV-work-against-her-will-automaton, so I’ll keep this short and sweet- as much as ITV have been trying to tout OMG as ‘her’ show, it’s plainly obvious that her name is merely attached to draw in viewers and provide a scapegoat for their lack of effort in making what could have been an fascinating programme. Her lack of interest in presenting is evident (“Peaches looked more bored than me, which is saying something”, a friend tweeted) and whilst I won’t try to defend her acceptance of a project she holds no real interest in, I will lay most of the blame squarely at the feet of the ITV2 “execs”. Perhaps if the show had stuck with its original plan- as a programme with a genuine interest in helping young people with increasingly common problems- they might have fended off one of the biggest problems affecting the series.
If Peaches is the unwitting ego of OMG, it’s all too easy to see Aled Haydn Jones as the awkward id(iot), and Emma Kenny as the parent-like superego (a little Freudian fun for you psychology-geeks out there). Aled was introduced as the “token gay best friend” but seemed to be lacking in any of the fun, albeit stereotyped qualities one would look for (not least for a television show), and it seemed that he peaked within the first few minutes with his confession of having a threeway with identical twins (a dubious claim at best). I query the ethics of Emma Kenny, a professional psychotherapist, being involved in a project that, to all intents and purposes, serves to humiliate and ridicule people, and suspect that she, too, was hooked by the original pitch ITV provided, and unable to escape once the show’s real purpose became apparent. She doesn’t much seem to play the role of therapist to the show’s guests, and instead comes across as a caricature of a counsellor- “I’m not judging, I respect your choice, but…” Every tidbit seemed to end with a judgement of some sort, which goes against the core conditions of counselling and psychotherapy (don’t get me started), but hey, who cares, ITV? OMG is clearly a show about judging, shocking, and humiliating people, under the guise of something else entirely.
Heavy, though not careful promotion has meant that anybody who pays even weak attention will know what guests are in store for the next five weeks of OMG. Perhaps most intriguing- and most discussed- is the episode about polyamory, but it doesn’t seem to be garnering attention for the right reasons. From Peaches being accused of ignorance when discussing the issue in interviews, to the guests themselves accusing the producers as portraying the poly community as ‘freaks’, the episode is a disaster waiting to happen. The biggest issue (beyond humiliation and the hidden agenda, which might arguably be the same thing) seems to be the ‘cuddle party’, which nobody seems to be willing to own up to requesting or enjoying. It might not be such an issue were it not brought up in every promotional piece published thus far, but the fact that it seems to be the crowning glory of this “edgy” show is where the problem lies. The poly tribe featured in the show claim that such parties are not a feature of their lifestyle, blame the producers for pushing them to film the event, and have actually tried to withdraw their participation in the programme entirely. The poly community appears to be on tenterhooks awaiting the episode’s airing, pens at the ready to complain to Ofcom about the light they may or may not be portrayed in. Part of me hopes all this drama is a misguided attempt at making the show seem more controversial than it is, but the distaste the poly community seems to feel for ITV, Peaches, and all associated with the programme strikes me as wholly genuine.
I’m still no closer to understanding exactly what OMG is, or at least what it’s supposed to be. A platform for mocking and humiliating people with unusual lifestyles? A discussion show about people with genuine problems, despite none of the guests appearing to want or need help? Or an atrocity exhibition that ITV2′s brain-dead audience can gawp at and pass judgement on without any moral consideration? It might have succeeded in eliciting a few Oh Em Gees from viewers, but with no real purpose beyond weak attempts to shock and horrify people. It’s all fun and games whilst vampires and cougars cavort around, but something else entirely when the reputation of an already misunderstood community comes into play. Quick, where’s the scapefruit?
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Tags: fearne and..., television
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