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Katie,
Do you pay people to come up with such innovative ideas, or do you just watch repeats on Channel 4 and BBC2 and get inspiration that way?
Mix the worst parts of No Going Back with Get a New Life, add a bit of Grand Designs Abroad etc etc. Do something original for once e.g.
Surprise garden makeovers in Italy.
or Buy antiques in Italy and sell them at a loss at auction in the UK.

Having just had two friends appear on a similar show (also for Channel 5) where the only truthful information in the show was their names - I would rather stick pins in my eyes!

Why not try a new type of reality TV - and give the viewers a real look at what Italy can be like...

now let's see... we could have an ½ûÂþÌìÌà Estate Agent (secretly not registered), a dodgey English speaking "agent" (naming no names, but you know who you are..) a geometra, half a dozen loosely related ½ûÂþÌìÌà vendors (of the same property), the happless English "buyer", some assorted hangers on whose function is never entirely clear, and lock them all up in the surly Notaio's office and see if any sale takes place.

Bets anyone?

Well Katie, it looks like you are just going to have to do as most of the others have done, get a mate of the producers to pretend to be looking for a house in the area, have them argue with their partner every step of the way, and, of course find them three or four superb homes, and have them buy none, divorce and go to the Bahama's or Australia with their new partners to set up Beach based luxury boat hire.
Or, of course, you could always use the formula in "Safe as Houses" that seemed to work...

Well done folks! I couldn't agree more.

It is time to discard these soap opera shows and come up with something that is more appropriate, relevant and informative, especially for those who are thinking about joining the exodus and setting up a new life in Italy.

[QUOTE=Charles Joseph]Well done folks! I couldn't agree more.

It is time to discard these soap opera shows and come up with something that is more appropriate, relevant and informative, especially for those who are thinking about joining the exodus and setting up a new life in Italy.[/QUOTE]

There was some balance recently with a TV program that took a more sensible look at "a life in the sun" comparing the fiction with the fact. I thought it was fairly well balanced, debunking the rosy falsehoods spread by TV makeover and "get a new life" type shows, ripping a yard of skin off Peter Mayall, but showing some families who were having a decent life in Italy even if they admitted it was damned hard work.

I'd love to know which one that was. Do you recall when/where it was on or what it was called?

BBC2 had a special series of Get a New Life which was quite good.

The original series was pretty rubbish - 60 minutes per location, with a couple sent to the country of their dreams all expenses paid for one month, and then the big decision: stay and get a new life, or return home. Blah blah blah.

But, there then followed a couple of series of specials which were shown everyday for a week at 6pm in which the people who had moved to Italy in the original series were followed around, and we the viewers were introduced to other people who had made the move and lived in Italy. Even the editor of Italy Mag was on the program!

I liked this series because it featured 'real' people who don't have hundreds of thousands of pounds in the bank (or in property equity) and who had to immediately find a job on arrival to survive. No olive groves or hilltop farmhouse restorations for once!