Red Road

LAST week The Secret Millionaire went to Glasgow to work as an undercover volunteer with disabled people.

Property tycoon, Nick Leslau left his Mayfair mansion, and headed off to Britain’s most impoverished city to help some of its most disadvantaged residents. An area that featured was the city’s Red Road estate.

I hate “reality” TV with a passion. Back in the day, when it was all shiny and new, it seemed like a novel idea, but now it’s endlessly churned out over and over again – The Diets That Time Forgot? What the hell was all that about?

The Secret Millionaire seems to turn it all on its head though…

The standard format:

- Someone with few life skills, and who’s done little of note appears on TV.

- They spend a period of time being as nasty as possible to everyone else on the show, and bigging up their ego.

- At the end of the programme they win a load of cash and everybody hates them.

- Why? Because they desperately want people to care about them.

The Secret Millionaire format:

- Someone who’s succeeded in their chosen career, and who’s relatively famous appears on TV.

- They spend a period of time being as nice as possible to everyone else on the show, and keeping as low a profile as possible.

- At the end of the programme they give away a load of cash, and everybody loves them.

- Why? Because they desperately care about people.

They say philanthropy is a shameless form of self promotion, but among other things, Mr. Leslau gave a generous £250,000 to a centre for the elderly and infirm. One blind man was so touched with a donation to help train guide dogs, he promised to name a puppy after him.

Glasgow is miles away from fashionable Mayfair. A 2004 study by the University of Sheffield ranked it as the UK’s poorest city, with 41% of households living in poverty. Male life expectancy in the suburb of Carlton is 54, nine years less than in India (World Health Organisation Report 2008). Some blame the Curry Mile, and all those deep fried Mars bars, others underlying health and social issues.

Red Road was built to re-house slum dwellers in the 1964. The site, consisting of 1,300 homes in two 25-storey slab blocks, and six 31-storey points, dominates the urban skyline.

When first built, it was accoladed as being the highest residential buildings in Europe. Today there are no accolades. It’s notorious for crime, poverty, crack and skag, and in May 2008 the Glasgow Housing Association announced plans to raze Red Road to the ground

Despite their foreseeable demolition, the flats are eternally engrained in history thanks to a BAFTA winning 2006 self titled film. Yes, the flats will live on in the memories of residents, and in the minds of my housemates who I invited to watch it…

If the estate is bleak, then the film is bleaker. It was supposed to be a gritty insight into inner city life, and as I’m doing my MA on council estates, I thought it would be worth a watch.

However, the plot was crap, the acting was crap, there was no insight, it went on forever, and the lead female character did something so stomach churning with a condom I won’t mention it here. After the film, we all felt very sick, and Scottish Jenny told me that I was never allowed to choose a film for the house to watch again.

Here’s a trailer of Red Road, but if you choose to watch the whole thing, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Do something useful with your time and watch The Secret Millionaire instead...