Residents of Benefits Street accuse Channel 4 of 'bribing' them with booze and burgers

BENEFITS Street “stars” claim TV bosses bribed them with beer, cigarettes and burgers and stunted many of the scenes.

No-one was paid because they would have had to declare it as income, which could have badly affected their state handouts.

But residents claim Channel 4 chiefs gave them “gifts” which fed their vices then filmed them succumbing to them. One was allegedly supplied with beer on condition he drank it on camera.

Others said producers gave them burgers then filmed them wolfing it.

Becky Howe, 23, said TV chiefs staged a visit to her house from The 50p Man, an ex-con filmed giving away household essentials to the street’s needy.
Becky accused Channel 4 of “screwing over” vulnerable residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham.
She said: “If you didn’t want to do any filming they’d go away and come back five minutes later carrying energy drinks and cigarettes.
“Looking at how the residents have been portrayed I am convinced that Channel 4 exploited us with food and alcohol.”
James Clarke, 44, a self-confessed alcoholic known as Fungi, said TV bosses offered him lunch in exchange for appearing.

His pal Steve Haywood said: “Fungi has had an alcohol problem for years.
“I know that Channel 4 convinced him to appear in the show by supplying him with beer.
“It’s a disgrace that the producers exploited people like Fungi, who obviously has a problem, by targeting their weak spots.”
A Channel 4 spokesman said: "We strongly refute any suggestion that scenes have been set up or produced in any way or that any contributors were given bribes or gifts on condition of filming them.
"This is a strictly observational documentary series made by an experienced team and filming followed strict protocols in accordance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code."