Desperate Scousewives

Did You Know?

• Desperate Scousewives was created by Tiffany Ballou and Louise Cowmeadow and commissioned by E4.
• It was announced around the same time as another Liverpool-centred reality show ordered by MTV UK but never made, called Mersey Shore (a play on Jersey Shore).
• Before it aired, former Liverpool MP Steve Rotheram voiced concerns that the show would merely fuel 'regional racism'.
• Repeats began airing on 4Music from 26 April 2012, sparking speculation from cast members that it might be a test run to recommission a new series on 4Music instead of E4.
• E4 reaffirmed their decision about the show's cancellation several times via their official Twitter page despite cast members continually claiming that a second series was in production.

Overview

E4 described the series as following strong, independent women who run the city, seeking fame in a place known for big personalities, big dreams, and big hair. The show's world revolved around football, fashion, and WAG style, with Scouse girls and boys focused on having a boss night out. The women dressed to impress and pursued the man of their dreams, while the men worked to keep up and win their hearts. Behind the blonde hair, Scouse eyebrows, football matches, and club nights, the cast were presented as real people determined to make a name for themselves and achieve their dreams.

Reception

The series drew largely negative reactions from media and audiences. Local Liverpudlians on Twitter argued that the cast did not represent Liverpool and that the show exploited the city for entertainment, noting that many cast members were not married and some were not originally from Liverpool. Critics panned the content as scripted, lacking plot or substance, and merely following the format of other regional structured reality shows. Michael Hogan called the show deplorable and criticised its wannabe WAGs and two-dimensional dullards.

Keith Watson of Metro described it as depressing viewing, stating that it took the TOWIE template through the Mersey Tunnel to a group of faked-up, vacuous wannabes who could not hold conversations about anything but themselves. Viewing figures for the first episode reached 500,000, 24% above the slot average, but subsequent episodes regularly fell below that figure and did not rank in E4's weekly top 10.