Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

[Porty]

Its a bit samey each week but what do you make of it?

[Bob Jefferson]

Haven't got round to watching any of the new series yet but it has certainly been an interesting look at an aspect of society that is normally hidden to us. Of course it's lurid, exploitative etc and hardly great journalism but we all watch it.

[Puerto bella]

I find it quite unrealistic. I have clients who are settled travellers and they find it amusing - its all so bling.

[Porty]

Yeah I think a lot of it is staged to place them in a bad light. For example the beauty contest in episode 1. And the programme makers have focused on the extreme elements among the group.

Not sure how realistic it is but one stat slipped in by the narrator in Tuesday's episode was gobsmacking- "there's around 850 irish gypsies in UK prisons", which she described as out of proportion. I did some research.

There's scant census data available on travellers. The most recent census was the first to include a "category" it is reckoned there's between 15000 and 30000 "Irish" travellers in the UK. Extrapolating the above figures, using 30,000 as the traveller population and measuring it against the UK average (circa 150 people in prison per 100,000). It seems travellers are 18 times more likely to do time, than the average British resident. We currently have 97,000 people in prison, there would be 1.75 Million if our average was similar to theirs!!