"The corporation has arranged for a mass exodus of the womenfolk of
Harby to see how their men survive without them. Eighty of its 119
women are to be put up in a hotel for seven nights at the BBC's
expense while their husbands try to cope with everyday life."

BBC feminists are having a laugh at this one, women will doubtlessly
laugh at the carefully edited shows on how men can't iron.

I look forward to the day when they show they corollary, when women
have to survive without men.

Apparently they were going to do that one first, but they're trying to
figure out how to get round the problems of filming when then men's
contribution to society is taken away. The batteries on the cameras
only last two hours, so after they turn off the electricity, gas,
water, and heating, and remove the food, medicine, and buildings,
leaving the women to live naked in the fields eating nuts and leaves,
the filming becomes quite difficult.

Mind you, I'm still waiting for a contra show to the expose they did on
the BNP, to be filmed in Finsbury Park Mosque.

It's quite an interesting place Harby. It lives in the shadow of the
Edge, which is this long ridge running north of Lincoln. It's only a
couple of miles from England's biggest antiques fair, and also the home
of the red arrows. It also has Gainsborough golf course, which has two
excellent 18 holers, really cheap.



-----------------------------------------------------------

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1518699,00.html

THE BBC'S quest for ratings has opened up deep divisions in a tiny
Nottinghamshire community which is preparing to take part in the latest
reality television experiment.
The corporation has arranged for a mass exodus of the womenfolk of
Harby to see how their men survive without them. Eighty of its 119
women are to be put up in a hotel for seven nights at the BBC's
expense while their husbands try to cope with everyday life.

But the show, The Week The Women Went has led to claims that the
village will become a laughing stock.



Such is the depth of feeling in Harby that an extraordinary meeting of
the parish council has been called to debate the issue. Paul Marshall,
48, a resident for the past 20 years, said the programme had already
split the small community.

"I don't think this kind of thing is what the BBC should be
spending licence-payers' money on. The village is deeply divided on
what to do," he said.

"This is going to be a tacky, tawdry programme that will do a lot of
harm. I have seen this kind of TV and nobody comes out of it looking
good."

The controversy comes after recent criticism during the debate about
the renewal of the BBC's charter that it is neglecting its
obligations as a public service broadcaster. Tessa Jowell, the Culture
Secretary, said that the BBC should not chase "ratings for ratings
sake".

While many of the women are eagerly looking forward to their seven days
of freedom, some of the men are less than impressed. Their concerns
have become so vocal that the village's entire population has been
invited to attend an emergency meeting of the parish council. Topping
the agenda will be the widespread fear that Harby is about to endure a
humiliating experience.

The BBC defended the series by describing it as "an intriguing social
experiment designed to see how a community of men rises to the
challenge of filling all the roles in village life". Harby was
selected because, despite a population of only 240 adults, it has a
strong community spirit and amenities including a primary school, a
pub, a post office and a shop.

Local opponents of the fly-on-the-wall project, however, are convinced
that it can only harm the village's reputation. Richard Croft, 44,
the parish council chairman, said that next week's extraordinary
meeting would seek to gauge the strength of local opposition to the
production.

He said: "The village is certainly divided over this and there has
definitely been some bad feeling that was not there before the BBC came
along. I have had quite a few people ringing me to complain and we are
hoping the meeting will show what the feeling really is."

Backers of the series claim that it has won overwhelming local support.
Joanna Horbury, 30, landlady of the village pub, the Bottle And Glass,
will be leaving Steve, her husband, with the care of Georgie, their
20-month-old daughter.

"I think one or two people on the parish council are worried that
some residents may be upset, but no one has to take part if they
don't want to," she said.

"We've thrown ourselves into the programme and are really looking
forward to it. All the women I've spoken to can't wait. I think any
fears that it might be edited unfavourably or anything like that are
unfounded."

Kelly Webb-Lamb, the series producer, said: "The programme is about
showing what happens when the women go away and the men are thrust into
the domestic and community sphere. There are some households where the
men are very involved but I think there are others where domestic chaos
will ensue



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