It wasn't a slip of the tongue. If the edit had also included the gun club incident in all of its horrific glory viewers would have been exposed to an argument I had with the club proprietors where one of em said it was shame they could no longer hunt peasants for sport. Since we were all holding firearms at the time it would have made TV gold but the director shat himself and turned the cameras off and deleted what he did get from the final cut. I was referring to the incident in my rant at the end and the polo club trainer knew exactly what I was referring to. Cxx
that rant was well needed and i support it...that manager did bully and to make you feel stupid and lazy... he got the sack for it now which i hope give you some justice , As his boss didn't like what he said about you either and you was the bigger man to confront the manager outside of the customers hearing, which showed respect for others.
"Surrounded by corpses - stuck on the walls, Blind eyes staring - polo balls, Soul-less cadavers - woodland prey, Ritual slaughter - play for today, The skies have been cleared - of birds, bees and clouds, The sun beating down - on lifeless old shrouds." Brilliant!
I'm flattered. My write up was done as soon as we got back from the experience..... straight onto dictophone while it was all still fresh in our memories.... which is why it concentrates on our side of the experience and not what happened in West Wales. Thanks for your interest. It's much appreciated. Cxx
Not sure if you're still around, Craig, but I wanted to say that you have a lovely family. You are obviously an intelligent, caring man. Everything else that's on my mind has already been said in the comments! Cheers from Texas.
thank you for including your comments about your real experience filming the show!!! it's sad to me that we're getting to the point where people watch "reality" television and think that it actually presents an accurate view, when the truth is that it is so heavily edited and artificially manufactured.
I agree. When they initially approached us to go on it we told em to fuck off for that very reason. They persisted and after half a dozen calls we told em we'd only take part if they swapped us with one of the richest families in the UK cos we were sick of the media pitting low income households against each other like some kind of sport. We were amazed they pulled it off. I stayed close to the director forever warning him that if he didn't make us look bad enough it would never air and unless he played fair to a degree not seen before on these kind of shows we'd pull out. I guess he was caught between a rock and a hard place. I'd love to see the 170 odd hours that didn't make the edit but Granada wouldn't allow it. Some of it made the final edit look tame. There was overt racism towards my wife and nearly a gun fight on the shooting range when it's proprietor openly stated that negros were biologically a slave race and the European empires should never have handed Africa back to it's indigenous people. He raised his shotgun and I raised mine. The film crew were shaking. The director may as well have included scenes like this cos the show was cancelled anyway. Thanks for your comments. Cxx
"Contrary to the misleading narration in the final edit our opposites are not "self-made" but were born into extreme prosperity & land-ownership. They also have ties with the Royal Family as bastions of the Polo & Fox Hunting set."
Two things that didn't make the final edit.... according to his eldest son the rich dude was born with an inheritance of two whole factory farms but still claimed he was self made. When his closest business contacts said he'd hit the bottom a few times, declared bankruptcy and then worked his way back up they were asked if he had always been in a position to get credit to the tune of millions every time he went bankrupt {to get himself "started" again} and they sheepishly said yes. We all know it takes money to make money. He gets millions in debt and can then get millions more to bail himself out whilst those at the other end of the economic ladder are lucky to get basic needs when they simply run out of cash. To have lost all one's cash more than once after having been born into wealth is also a bad reflection on his abilities as a responsible businessman {if such a thing exists}. Cxx
Oh how awful. How could anyone live with themself knowing they made a fortune off factory farms. Stupid question, same reason why our society lives off the stuff... but I just don't understand how people think they have zero obligation to care. I can tell these people have no respect for animals over little comments about the polo
Beautifully put. I would suggest though that practically every post industrial nation on earth has a variation on the class system..... whether it's an autocracy, an oligarchy, a monarchy, a technocracy, a celebritocracy or an amalgam of of these hierarchical structures. I guess the UK model is one of the oldest and most entrenched so hopefully it'll be one of the first the bite the dust. Cheers for your response. Cxx
I feel there was good and bad on both sides to be honest. Both men had their shortcomings. To choose not to work to spend time with your young child is all well and good as long as enough people choose to work. When my son was born I had no choice but to leave him and go to work I couldn't afford not to. When he later died of leukaemia I regretted every minute I'd spent without him
I had no idea this show existed. Thanks for uploading this, Craig. I'm sorry that you and your family were so badly mistreated. The guy's comments at the polo ball were absolutely disgusting.
Thanks for your comment. It was going to be the first of a series but the director couldn't make us look bad enough to appease the executives who run Granada TV and ITV and we suspect that Andrew's estate made threats. It had been ear-marked for prime time viewing. Personally it's slowly growing audience on RUclips is more than enough to compensate. Had we been aired on mainstream media many people would have quickly forgotten it and the right wing press would have spun it to the advantage of the rich capitalist making him look like the victim. Initially we didn't want to be a part of "reality tv" since it largely involves the ritual humiliation of the public so we suggested the empasse between the rich and the relatively poor. 180 hours of footage were shot. One wonders if the 166 hours edited out still exists. Cxx
Totally disgusted at the sheer lack of manners of the Polo club compare, I don't care if he felt they were loosing face, there are so many more tactful ways to have done that...what a looser.
Here is a man with millions of pounds, a life of comfort and luxury yet still whinges on and actually believes those that don't work are parasites feeding off people like himself. It makes me despair that someone with way more than they'd ever need can't even conceive the concept of assisting or sharing. In this day and age it simply is not possible to 'choose' not to work, if the other guy doesn't work (I happen to think he does) there is a genuine reason. What happened to empathy and understanding?
Anton Haq It's interesting that "work" is only defined by a wage in this society. Not only do huge swathes of dole budget citizens keep the economy rolling by doing unpaid stuff like Underground gigs but their efforts are written off as self-indulgent or lazy. The harshest critics are usually those with inherited wealth who delegate all their work to employees. Like they were distracting everybody, and in some cases themselves, from the fact that they personally achieve very little. The king didn't build the castle. His underpaid and sometimes underfed staff did with the threat of the king's army as a method of curtailing any say they may have over pay and conditions or even whether or not they want to do it. Nothing's really changed. The king is the corporate ceo and the knights who threaten punitive behaviour are the cops and the military. Only the tech has changed. Cxx
HighCigar It's enough to make you despair when you realise how solidly in place the system is with it's façade of freedom. I had such a dilemma recently regarding the General Election. I had to vote Labour, I had no choice, they won my constituency with 41%, narrowly winning over the most hideous UKIP candidate who got 39%!
The reason they didn't air this is purely because Craig mentioned the water engine and the hemp oil engine, which is a big hush hush on national television for obvious reasons.
Maybe one of the reasons. The whole set up and the way it unfolded pushed more buttons than you could throw a stick at even though some of the more startling scenes were edited out to try and make the rich dudes look a little better in order to try and get it on prime-time TV. That being said the rich dudes still came across as a bunch of throwbacks. Over 80 hours of footage was shot and only 46 mins makes the edit in shows like these. The editor's job is wasteful at best and manipulative at worst. That being said this ended up a largely fair example of a genre that perhaps has no right to call itself "Reality TV". If it had been live and unedited an even greater indictment of corporate hierarchy and it's threat to the environment would have been achieved. Cxx
If that was all it was they'd have just edited it out. I think they didn't air it because it was basically a carbon copy of Wife swap with the only difference being the whole family go.
It was banned. It was ready to go and had already cost the production company tens of thousands of pounds. Remember it is 11 years old now and at the time these "reality" shows were still a novelty. The Director had the plug pulled on him. This was to be the first in a series of episodes and the whole franchise was dumped. Rumour has it the wealthy, influencial side took chagrin at the way they came across. Even mass media companies are in thrall to those who hold the purse strings. Rather than pay even more in litigation fees the Executive Producer stopped it being aired and then sought employment with another media company. Cxx
@@STlTCHlZ literally not like wife swap. Wife swap is just the family. this is their whole life not just inside of their home. Do you even pay attention?
im so glad this came on my recommended. i love watching things filmed in the early 2000s to see how things have changed in certain perspectives. and to craig, go you for standing up to the awful guy in the speech. the way they shot the program made you look bad, it's a shame that reality tv loves to make people who don't conform to a "typical" lifestyle as less than people who have more money. it's just as twisted as social media. i hope you, your wife and your child are doing well.
What a pair of snots. He's not even a self made millionaire, his father owned two factories. They're snobbery defines them as classless. Give me the Welsh musician any time. He has far more class. The way they were looking at him when he was learning to ride was bloody disgraceful! These are the "upper class"? Spare me. The Welshman has much more class.
I see one couple that are good friends who can express their feelings. The other I see a wonderful business arrangement. Glad to see the class structure is alive and well. I know I would rather hang with the hippy couple.
Craig - only half way through the episode so far but as someone who was raised working class I appreciate you! What a lovely family you have too - hope all is well with you and your amazing family!
I liked both men, and what Andrew said about finding something in the middle of the way they both live. Not his exact words, but he learned something from the experience.
Hard to like someone who cheats and lies, he didn't do as the show intended he kept changing everything with a phone call, hard to like people who can act
The one in glasses is absolutely spot on , every single thing he said and guess what everything he says they go and show him he is right. Well done for speaking up but just know they didn't listen because you know they don't care
I wouldn't support the Polo families business and would start a boycott. Not only did the manager but the entire staff acted like they were better than the musician. I can't believe that more people didn't walk out of the auction after the comments that were spoken.
uniquetouch2008 The manager no longer works there, it said at the end of the show.I think that one man made a worse impression than anything the punk rocker man could have possibly done, as at least to the audience he was somewhat of a known quantity. I find the Polo man and his family were fairly normal and respectable, albeit workaholic.
J BC Nothing normal or respectable about being a multi multi millionaire in a world where there are starving kids. At the time of this production Andrew Foreman owned majority shares in porta cabins worldwide. Made a bomb {no pun intended} out of the destruction of civilian properties in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm sure the death of people's kids at the hands of the RAF in those countries didn't come close to affecting him. Nothing respectable about that! Wherever someone has an excess of money like that many other people suffer in order for them to amass it and hoard it. I'm left considering this question..... how many starving kids does it take to make a multi-millionaire? Cxx
Of course it wasn't fixed.... apart from an edit that made my swappee slightly more acceptable than he was in reality and the fact that 80 hours was edited down to 46.. The richest/poorest thing was my and my wife's idea. Rather that than poor and poorer still like a lot of "Reality Shows". When they wanted us to do it we told em to fuck off cos I see shows like that as a ritual humiliation of the public. This though highlights the ongoing UK class system and it's not a bad job of it which is why it was banned. It cost a bomb to make but Granada TV couldn't make us look bad enough for the mainstream channel {ITV} to air it. Plus the rich dudes probably had a hand in banning it too cos some of em acted like arseholes and it shows. Cxx
What's the point of participating, if you're not going to follow the rules. If he cheats here , you can probably guess that he cheats in his business too!
For me I felt both men had very good qualities, I respect Andrews entrepreneurial spirit and he genuinely seems like a decent, hard-working man. I think Craig is a very creative, free spirited type of guy. For a functioning society we need the types like Andrew and we need the types like Craig. Paul however was a disgraceful human-being,, completely devoid of manners and dignity. The way he treated craig and his family with such lack of respect angered me greatly, regardless of if Paul disagreed with their life-style choices he should of treated them with the same kind of respect that they treated him and he didn't
Thanks for your comments. I'm deeply flattered. Unfortunately Andrew was neither self made nor hard working. He was bloody good at delegating like anybody born and bred to take over their father's business empire. The show was weighted in Andrew's favour as far as it could be and the Director's excuse for editing it in that way was because he told me he wouldn't get it on mainstream TV if he didn't. I warned him that it wouldn't get aired unless he could edit it to show that myself and my family were beneath contempt and, alas, I was proved right. Cxx
This is our guess too. Even the director {Matt Calais} who has now made a name for himself as the executive producer of Come Dine With Me on UK TV doesn't know the truth behind why it was pulled. In the light of no reasons being given we can only assume there was corporate pressure thus proving once again that there is no real freedom of the press or media in the UK. Cxx
This is so much better than wife swap, I don't understand why they didn't air it, this would still be running now with millions of viewers. Great show. Thanks for the upload.
i really enjoyed this,so thank you for the upload....so glad he punched that snob with some good choice words....what a knock down...mohamid alley would have been proud of him.
Yeah I work in disability 6 days per week and also do university and have a husband, house work etc etc. I'd never call myself a workaholic and I don't even have weekends. "don't ever do a job you don't want to do" - how stupid. How the hell would I pay my rent, support my family?? Life doesn't stop for me to find the perfect high paying job that I'm excited to go to every day.
Nobody said "find a high paying job that excites you" and only an idiot would be so stupid as to think that any job could be something to be consistently looked forward to on a daily basis but I truly believe that if people do jobs they don't want to do {on any level} and feel the only reason they are working is for cash then they generally fuck those jobs up, lead miserable lives and rarely see outside of the box thus leaving the rich to bully them and threaten their social and economic stability. Working with the disabled is an honorable profession and, if done well, something requiring a certain level of altruism and therefore enthusiasm. If more people worked with those principles in mind the world would certainly be a better place. Cxx
thanks for posting this,I found it very engaging...and yes,predictably rigged in favor of the upper class snobs.Nice to see a small taste of the real attitudes at play behind the scenes of every upper-crust social function. Plus,in diligently reading the comments posted,I have gained a new word in my vocabulary...'celebritocracy' I am bound to be dropping that little gem into conversation for years to come-much appreciated.
There are various reasons why this "program" did not work. The first part of it set me off. I lived in Las Vegas and gambling bores me, you would not have all the big hotels if people didn't lose. People don't look at gambling as entertainment in which you are prepared to set a limit and be prepared to part with it for the experience. In casinos there are winners, but mostly losers. That led me to believe that in the game, someone will win and someone will lose. Despite judgments pointed out about Craig, I found him to be clever, a natural creative man, and someone who had a brilliant humor, as well as open-minded thought process. He looked at projects that would benefit mankind, not just ways to exploit others merely for financial gain. Despite what Paul thought, there are people who live humble lives, and if that is their choice, then it is wise not to insult the other person, even if you don't agree. This premise is clearly about classism, and it shows that society is hypocritical and rewards psychopaths. A lot of people that see this are not stupid, this is propaganda to kiss up to people in a higher class, however it is disgusting.
Thank you for your comments. The gambling bit and the name of the show was revealed to us at the end and I initially refused to do it. I told the director I objected to casinos and said it was misrepresenting me. The geezer virtrually had a breakdown. I conceded because I thought the program had teeth. The director wanted us so bad he followed my suggestion that we'd only do it if he swapped us with a mega rich family. The gambling concession was agreed after my wife and I discussed the pros and cons for over an hour while the director saw his budget hang from a thread along with his career. I knew the rich family would have it pulled and planned for the ongoing democratization of broadcasting through social media {the show was done in 05}. Although it left a bitter taste I compromised over the farcical roulette scene. I'm glad I did because so many people have seen this edit thanks to youtube. It's an example of what the powers that be refuse to admit and represent: the difference between the rich and their selfishness and the relatively poor and their sense of altruism and coimmunity. The Polo Club trainer Paul is, at present, serving a ten stretch in prison for repeatedly raping young and under age girls over a 15 year period. If I'd have realized that he and those around him were even worse than we suspected I would not have been so willing to compromise and play the game. That said if I'd have hit him the show would have aired and I'd be doing time while he acted like a victim, perhaps offestting later accusations by the poor girls he abused. Thanks for watching it. It means a lot considering your applaudable views on gambling. Cxx
@@HighCigar Thank you for discussing further activities behind the scenes. That Paul chap was so offensive, but he was a worse person than I thought. I am grateful that the poor girls put him in jail, people like that need to be accountable. After finding out what is really happening to people on these reality shows, I feel like the industry is deceptive and manipulative, in fact some lives have been affected for the worse afterward. I wish more people were able to expose what these execs do. I almost don't want to watch reality tellievision.
i came from a very well off family but i love Greg id rather chat with him then the snobs at the polo clubs yeah my parents made tons of money but they taught me to be humble and be kind to all walks of life
Well, you're a needle in a haystack, my friend . I avoid the very wealthy because of their attitude, like in this shoe. Money can NOT buy class or good morals and work ethics.
Craig is absolutely diplomatic in the face of all this intolerance! They even saw his potential as a promoter, then freaked out, got all scared when he turned out not to be a total ass-kisser. Liking Craig more all the time. Who the hell wdn't want the troops home soon? Continued war is at the expense of the tax payer, that's what's "living off their backs". What a narcissistic f@#$! Go Craig, GO, CRAIG!!
the manager was out of order when he slagged the guest boss down in front of paying customers, both men did flout the rule but the millionair side let themselves down more .... glad that manager was sacked
I didn't flout the rule. The Director of the show told me my mates in Wales might be in trouble and advised I ring them to make sure and then the film crew filmed me secretly from outside a window and the narration makes it look like I rang them off my own back. A real dirty trick. The guy who swapped with me was not a self made millionaire either. His son told me the family inherited two factory farms from his grandfather. Cxx
what has his inheritance got to do with it ? the man still works hard to maintain his wealth ... any way I was not horrid about you , I am of the same mind set as you, I choose not to claim the £70 job seeker im allowed but as the system make me feel that I am a low and worthless so instead I live off very little and am happy with what I have, money and statue In my opinion stands for very little , it is how ones treats others and conducts themselves ..... You was mistreated by the staff of the gentleman , the manager underestimated your intelligence to his folly and now he has lost his job .. people like myself do see the truth so stop defending yourself and those who slag you off they don't really care for the truth , they just are being malicious.
I know you weren't horrid about me. It's just that when I rang Wales and they shot it from outside the window the narrator said that I had also decided to break the rules.... which, of course, was a lie. The narrator also introduced Andrew as a self made millionaire so I was merely pointing out that those things were not true in any sense. The Director was having to try and make my swappee look better than he was and us worse so that it would have a greater chance of being aired on mainstream TV. I guess the rich folks didn't make that easy for him. hahahahahaha. Thanks for your comments. They are appreciated. Cxx
Absolutely flabbergasted by that bus 'joke'. Also, shocking they wouldn't raise the money for the primary school. Seems philanthropy is a rich man's game, more about the rich man than the people they claim to 'help'
Paul, rersponsible for the "bus joke", was given a ten stretch for systematically raping under age girls over a fifteen year period. I think he's still in prison now. Even we didn't realize the full extent to which these corrupt bunch of hypocritical monsters are prepared to go. The whole experience verified our opinions and some! Thanks for your comments. Cxx
Very funny. I am a contemporary of Lydons but have never consciously emulated him. Though I was into The Pistols when they first emerged I'm glad I didn't end up the sad sack Lydon's become. He's now got more in common with that Polo Club Trainer. hahahahahahahaha. Cxx
For that a few other things. This is a 46 min edit but over 80 hours were filmed. His worst behaviour mostly didn't make the final edit cos the director thought that in watering it down he'd get in on TV. This was obviously never gonna happen. The rich came off too badly. Cxx
Im shocked at how awful that Polo Manager is. What a disgusting man. They decided to not save the primary school but redevelop the welsh valley.............. omg
Im not surprised they didnt air it, it doesnt fit the narrative of 'make fun of the working class'. Instead, Craig expery turned the tables on them and showed the upper class for what they really are. The comments at the Ball were disguisting. Well done Craig!!!!
The polo club trainer {Paul} is at present doing ten years in prison for raping young girls over a fifteen year period. A period which covered the time of the lifeswap. We only found out a year or so ago. That he is even more corrupt than we suspected comes as no surprise. Thanks for your comments. They mean a lot. Cxx
wow! the tent auction scene was absolutely unforgiving wasnt it. they all acted like high school bullies to the poor kid. such disrespect. keep on keepin on. oh i have questions. how has your life changed since this point of your life. and are you happy where you are? generally curious because you never know what happens in the after. and seeing that you reply to comments i have hopes to get a response.
Our lives have not changed at all. All our assumptions about those at the "top" of society were proven true with nothing gained other than anecdotal evidence that hierarchy sucks. Thanks for your comments. The school we were trying to save was closed and the fact that none of my swapee's estate cared proves their so called charity work is just hot air & PR. Cxx
wow! thank you for this response and giving me more insight on other peoples ways of life and how they perceive happyness. everyone has their own morals and a true individual keeps with them. you had the balls to do this show and take all that. you are truly a strong willed individual. i just want to say thanks for some of the lessons i learned from watching this.
I have to admit I started out as a bit of Paul advocate Thought he,s a nice person just been very sheltered from the reality of life. I suppose someone has to In one way I can see his point of view. If no one works then who supports the system ? He dose not seem to bare in mind how extremely hard it to fined work or start something with little or no money . Then he's never had to & even if he did his connections & name would carry him trough with out much threw or effort from Paul The way he behaved at that gala was nothing but crude !!! That remark about the Pakistanis was vile Thats the upper class is it YIKES & think what his Mummy & Daddy paid on schooling should have just given him a hug
Keiran needs to relax and discuss her disagreement rather than bite, yes she is a Mom, and the most important job in the world, we respect. Understanding the views of others is an eye-opening learning curve no matter your own life journey or views. How to influence others....understand them and use honey. Rebellion is easy, but how you use it to promote an effect is not. Choose your battles well. With kind thoughts, Western Australia.
I would argue rebellion is difficult. Contrition out of expedience is easy which is perhaps why the world is dying. Paul, the Polo Club Manager, is serving ten years in prison at present for consistently raping under-aged girls over a fifteen year period including the time we were at Tickton Hall. If I'd have known at the time I would have been even less genial. It's not about accepting differing opinions. It's about right and wrong and that guy is about as wrong as it gets. Maybe my wife's reaction to him proves that female intuition is a thing. Cxx
Here’s a link to my least favoured British newspaper. Even The Daily Mail reported it. He must have severely pissed off his peer group that they turned on him. Nothing short of that would have got him prosecuted cos these bastards are usually above the law. This is probably the tip of the ice-berg. Fuck knows what else he’s done. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6675039/Polo-club-owner-53-raped-sexually-assaulted-four-women-jailed.html
Arrogance and cheating! Alas the heartlessness and snobbery is sickening..I wonder if heart dis-ease is more rampant among the materially wealthy, certainly the energetic stage is set for imbalance and a certain rigidity and gluttony which would deny the common man/wombman a simple meager life with dignity and glamorize material values no mater how unethical and wretched. Great show!
Relatively little was swapped if you look at the way the guy kept in touch with his estate behind the backs of the film crew and in violation of a written agreement not to do so. Very little power or information was given concerning the running of the estate and most of the actual responsibility seems to be delegated to numerous staff so that most of the week was recreational with a little networking. Livelihoods were only under threat from the appalling behaviour of the estate itself. Cxx
You see a difference between Richard 1st and Richard Branson? Does the phrase "people people" not imply manipulation and divisiveness in getting something out of them..... like long hours for little pay? Cxx
Cheers. It took a great deal of self discipline. Yeah we're doing as well as can be expected and have stuck to our principles. Contrary to the slanted voice over we've remained extremely busy over the years but I guess a job isn't counted as a job if there's no wage incentive. My swappee's marriage crashed and burnt after that rare moment of television clarity. He kept sending us Xmas cards for some years after and though I felt a little guilty not responding Kiran and I considered it an act of hypocrisy pretending some kind of friendship; especially since he was instrumental in having the show banned. I'd like to think we twanged his conscience but I fear any apparent altruism from his end is nothing more than an act of expediency; all part of his wholly Machievellian approach to life. His "friends" boiled down to little more than competitors and arse lickers from what we could see. Even with our politics we were shocked at how predictable their selfish lifestyle actually was. What you see is what you get I guess. Hope you are well. Cxx
I like the hippy a lot, but I think to recieve benefits you need to work to pay taxes. The problem is for people that work even a little bit are given no benefits (at least here in america) and pay taxes on top of it. It is messed up, but on top if he has worked before and getting pensions and support from paying taxes with that, then I think his way of life is awesome. As long as he can feed his family, keep them safe, and be happy, right on to him!
This is a great show & should of been aired 👍🏾 the bad class of the rich, GOOD the polo manager was fired sounds better. He has no class & embarrassed the rich of his conduct
He was in fact from a higher station in society than the {not so} self made millionaire. He went on to start a rival polo club of his own near his ex employer's estate. They are all cut from the same cloth alas. Cxx
So what's the expression? "Shocked but not surprised". What's ironic to me is this.....anyone from the wealth class would almost certainly agree with Paul's analysis of Craig's tirade at the end of the programme. And they would be completely wrong. Craig was justifiably angry and made consistent, relevant points. But cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing and that almost (but not quite) makes me feel sorry for those concerned. I thank God I'm not in that class. I wouldn't last a week anyway. There are simply too many qualities which inform one's moral integrity that would have to be abandoned in order to survive as a member. Caring for others simply because it's the right thing to do is one. Honesty and integrity are a couple more. The list is probably much longer than I can even begin to imagine. Good on you Craig and all the very best. Signed, a Canadian.
+camabelu e I didn't last a week! hahahahaha. Everybody was surprised I lasted that long.... especially me. The production crew were predictably concerned I wasn't gonna blow at all.... confrontation being their raison d'être whether they care to admit it to themselves or not. The whole experience was much more predictable than I could have ever hoped for. Each opportunity we gave "the wealth class" to do the right thing was either ignored, thrown back in our faces or treated like a game and to be honest the production crew were not a lot different. Even the offer of a job at Landrover UK was based on my "sales acumen" with no real interest in my environmental agenda at all. My swappee's inner cabal with their final indifference to the plight of a local school close to us, which did indeed close soon after the show was filmed, against the will of our local community and the school staff, epitomizes the lack of importance those with financial power give to the betterment of all; quite apart from the hunting, the competition, the racism, the profiteering, the warmongering and the strict top down medieval hierarchy that defines their lives. I was so taken aback by being "shocked but not surprised" that I immediately recited my experiences into a Dictaphone when we got back and a mate transcribed it. The results can be read through this link.... highpanch.org.uk/lifeswap/index.htm Thank you for your comments. I still wonder at times if the line in the sand is of my own making and as a result of my inability or unwillingness to conform to an innate capitalist model. Your comments, however, further my belief that that model is not "human nature" per sé and has been historically pushed onto us by the minority of people who disproportionately profit from it. I wouldn't have that on my conscience for all the tea in China. Cxx
In Britain pissed means drunk. I gather you mean pissed in the US phraseology meaning "angry". I dunno. Seems to me the only righteous indignation here should really be with the poor folk. They have a bigger axe to grind than someone sitting on their arse playing polo, drinking 80 dollar bottles of wine and calling it work. Cxx
'Don't ever do a job you don't want to do', it's such an obvious statement that makes complete sense to me, I can't understand the mindset of anyone who thinks otherwise yet in todays society you are condemned for such beliefs, made to feel like a leech on society just because you aren't prepared to follow a path leading to depression at best.
"shes not striving for anything, they laze about" - well she's a lot more emotionally and spiritually advanced than them and spends way more time with her child, so obviously she strives for meaningful things in her life, whereas the other boneheads focus on sports, shooting animals and controlling everything to maintain their sanity. That's ridiculous
Just reliazed that they refused to show it and what a bunch of snobs who the f..ck do they think they are 🤬 looking down on Craig and his family makes me sick
It was my idea. They shot the roulette thing at the end and initially I said I didn't agree with it but they literally begged me to do it. When we were asked to go on the show we told em to fuck off cos we thought "Reality" shows were a ritual humiliation of the public. They asked us under what conditions we'd do it so we said it would only be of use if it highlighted the economic inequalities in the society we live in. They said ok and actually pulled it off by convincing the other guy it was a "Wife Swap" and then told him to take his family at the last minute. I told em that it wouldn't get aired unless me and my wife were made to look bad. I was right. To be honest I think the rich dudes had it cancelled. They didn't bank on RUclips I guess. Cxx
ha, I thought I clicked on Wife Swap. this was interesting, although I was waiting for the facetoface between the two family's at the end, which never happened....
It did happen. I made the rich fella look stupid so they edited it out along with some of the more extreme moments; in a desperate bid to get it on mainstream TV which never happened anyway. It had been commissioned for prime time but was banned by the powers that be. Cxx
+HighCigar I don't recall him being disrespectful towards your lifestyle, he actually said he learned something from being in your shoes for a week. as for the ranch manager, he was disrespectful to you. I don't know what was said during the final meeting but why do you say you made him look stupid...
Well what you do know should answer that even though the edit was managed to make him look better than he was. He cheated. He is a monarchist, a blood sport supporter, a multi-millionaire in a world with starving kids, a guy who was about to tear up some of the Welsh countryside to build a luxury sports center, an advocate of the bombing of Iraqi civilians in the UK and US invasion underway at the time of filming in 2005 and he was a gross waster of energy {his pool used as much electricity as the whole London council estate we used to live on}. If none of those things are reprehensible to you it may help if I throw a few more facts at you that were edited out along with our one-to-one but were relevant to it considering what I found out during the week: he wasn't self-made. He had inherited two factory farms from his father, had driven all the surrounding farmers off their land to expand his own base in Yorkshire; at times using threats of violence according to his son. He had gangsters follow me about during the polo club ball and was close friends with the officer over-seeing the occupation of Basra at the time the lifeswap was shot. He owned over half the world's shares in porta-cabins and was raking it in as a result of the US and UK bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan. What's the quick easy way to replace bombed accommodation? Porta-cabins. Yes he appeared to have learned about our lifestyle but did nothing to stop the closure of the primary school we were trying to save with the event he sang at and his feelings towards us may have appeared to be positive but they were empty words; the words of a salesman trying to make himself look better than he was. There was plenty more that disgusted me but I'll spare you a longer essay. You obviously have less qualms about people with too much money than I. One last thing, he threatened the director in a car park with myself and my wife as witnesses saying it wouldn't go well for him if he made him look like a prick. The director had got him on the show by telling him it was a wife swap {ironic considering your reasons for watching it}. Both the director, my wife and I think he was the power that had it banned from mainstream TV so he also condones censorship with no real respect for what we stood for at all. We had to give gifts to each other {also edited out of the final cut} which the producers of the program paid for. He got us a computer {no better than the one we already had} and we got him a load of books about recycling and renewable energy from the Center of Alternative Technology in North Wales. Important stuff for the super-rich to support considering the environmental meltdown the industry and warfare he profits from is causing. To our knowledge he did nothing with the information because there is simply not enough of an immediate personal profit in trying to save the planet. Ho hum. So it goes.
Things are as well as can be expected. Thank you very much for your comments. Yeah the racism is what finally tipped me over the edge. All these years later and this post is getting a healthy number of hits. The truth will out I guess. Cxx
"hunting peasants for sport" - I know that was a slip of the tongue lol but, damn, it was ironically perfect.
It wasn't a slip of the tongue. If the edit had also included the gun club incident in all of its horrific glory viewers would have been exposed to an argument I had with the club proprietors where one of em said it was shame they could no longer hunt peasants for sport. Since we were all holding firearms at the time it would have made TV gold but the director shat himself and turned the cameras off and deleted what he did get from the final cut. I was referring to the incident in my rant at the end and the polo club trainer knew exactly what I was referring to. Cxx
Dude just watched this with my wife n kid and we all reckon you're alright. Other guy's a soulless turd. Good luck to you and yours.
I'm deeply flattered. I'll pass on your good wishes. Cxx
that rant was well needed and i support it...that manager did bully and to make you feel stupid and lazy... he got the sack for it now which i hope give you some justice , As his boss didn't like what he said about you either and you was the bigger man to confront the manager outside of the customers hearing, which showed respect for others.
HighCigar Loved the poetry. Congrats on your life, it is being well spent.
"Surrounded by corpses - stuck on the walls,
Blind eyes staring - polo balls,
Soul-less cadavers - woodland prey,
Ritual slaughter - play for today,
The skies have been cleared - of birds, bees and clouds,
The sun beating down - on lifeless old shrouds."
Brilliant!
Thanks Carlos. Your appraisal means a lot to me. Cxx
I agree. I really liked that poem. You're very talented!
Carlos Von Stein koo
Carlos: I thought it was totally fantastic and showed so much talent !!!! Really fantastic :)
How can anyone take offence to someone saying bring our troops home soon?
A narcissistic low life
I'm flattered. My write up was done as soon as we got back from the experience..... straight onto dictophone while it was all still fresh in our memories.... which is why it concentrates on our side of the experience and not what happened in West Wales. Thanks for your interest. It's much appreciated. Cxx
I hope you're doing well. I really enjoyed watching it. ❤
People always hate people who stand up for anything...
Not sure if you're still around, Craig, but I wanted to say that you have a lovely family. You are obviously an intelligent, caring man. Everything else that's on my mind has already been said in the comments! Cheers from Texas.
I'm deeply flattered by your comments Donia. I'll pass them on to my wife and kids. Cxxxx
:)
Such a brilliant episode! Craig, you and your family are fantastic!
I am also sure that the millionaire paid them not to broadcast it.
thank you for including your comments about your real experience filming the show!!! it's sad to me that we're getting to the point where people watch "reality" television and think that it actually presents an accurate view, when the truth is that it is so heavily edited and artificially manufactured.
I agree. When they initially approached us to go on it we told em to fuck off for that very reason. They persisted and after half a dozen calls we told em we'd only take part if they swapped us with one of the richest families in the UK cos we were sick of the media pitting low income households against each other like some kind of sport. We were amazed they pulled it off. I stayed close to the director forever warning him that if he didn't make us look bad enough it would never air and unless he played fair to a degree not seen before on these kind of shows we'd pull out. I guess he was caught between a rock and a hard place. I'd love to see the 170 odd hours that didn't make the edit but Granada wouldn't allow it. Some of it made the final edit look tame. There was overt racism towards my wife and nearly a gun fight on the shooting range when it's proprietor openly stated that negros were biologically a slave race and the European empires should never have handed Africa back to it's indigenous people. He raised his shotgun and I raised mine. The film crew were shaking. The director may as well have included scenes like this cos the show was cancelled anyway. Thanks for your comments. Cxx
"Contrary to the misleading narration in the final edit our opposites are not "self-made" but were born into extreme prosperity & land-ownership. They also have ties with the Royal Family as bastions of the Polo & Fox Hunting set."
Two things that didn't make the final edit.... according to his eldest son the rich dude was born with an inheritance of two whole factory farms but still claimed he was self made. When his closest business contacts said he'd hit the bottom a few times, declared bankruptcy and then worked his way back up they were asked if he had always been in a position to get credit to the tune of millions every time he went bankrupt {to get himself "started" again} and they sheepishly said yes. We all know it takes money to make money. He gets millions in debt and can then get millions more to bail himself out whilst those at the other end of the economic ladder are lucky to get basic needs when they simply run out of cash. To have lost all one's cash more than once after having been born into wealth is also a bad reflection on his abilities as a responsible businessman {if such a thing exists}. Cxx
Oh how awful. How could anyone live with themself knowing they made a fortune off factory farms. Stupid question, same reason why our society lives off the stuff... but I just don't understand how people think they have zero obligation to care. I can tell these people have no respect for animals over little comments about the polo
Oh and I forgot about the hunting
CastleArrgghhhh
This is a fantastic analysis of the world we live in. Cxx
Beautifully put. I would suggest though that practically every post industrial nation on earth has a variation on the class system..... whether it's an autocracy, an oligarchy, a monarchy, a technocracy, a celebritocracy or an amalgam of of these hierarchical structures. I guess the UK model is one of the oldest and most entrenched so hopefully it'll be one of the first the bite the dust. Cheers for your response. Cxx
difference between these 2 guys in the show is one is a spoiled rotten little grown man , and the other one is a free spirit, kind person
J. FiveAlive ucrime
Ufca
What does this comment mean Syed?
I feel there was good and bad on both sides to be honest. Both men had their shortcomings. To choose not to work to spend time with your young child is all well and good as long as enough people choose to work. When my son was born I had no choice but to leave him and go to work I couldn't afford not to. When he later died of leukaemia I regretted every minute I'd spent without him
That's very sad. I'm guessing you live in America where there is no social security system. Cxx
I'm also guessing he got no free health care. Cxx
I had no idea this show existed. Thanks for uploading this, Craig. I'm sorry that you and your family were so badly mistreated. The guy's comments at the polo ball were absolutely disgusting.
Thanks for your comment. It was going to be the first of a series but the director couldn't make us look bad enough to appease the executives who run Granada TV and ITV and we suspect that Andrew's estate made threats. It had been ear-marked for prime time viewing. Personally it's slowly growing audience on RUclips is more than enough to compensate. Had we been aired on mainstream media many people would have quickly forgotten it and the right wing press would have spun it to the advantage of the rich capitalist making him look like the victim. Initially we didn't want to be a part of "reality tv" since it largely involves the ritual humiliation of the public so we suggested the empasse between the rich and the relatively poor. 180 hours of footage were shot. One wonders if the 166 hours edited out still exists. Cxx
massdebate121 neither did i
Totally disgusted at the sheer lack of manners of the Polo club compare, I don't care if he felt they were loosing face, there are so many more tactful ways to have done that...what a looser.
This is like a more intense version of Rich House Poor House
Here is a man with millions of pounds, a life of comfort and luxury yet still whinges on and actually believes those that don't work are parasites feeding off people like himself. It makes me despair that someone with way more than they'd ever need can't even conceive the concept of assisting or sharing. In this day and age it simply is not possible to 'choose' not to work, if the other guy doesn't work (I happen to think he does) there is a genuine reason. What happened to empathy and understanding?
Anton Haq It's interesting that "work" is only defined by a wage in this society. Not only do huge swathes of dole budget citizens keep the economy rolling by doing unpaid stuff like Underground gigs but their efforts are written off as self-indulgent or lazy. The harshest critics are usually those with inherited wealth who delegate all their work to employees. Like they were distracting everybody, and in some cases themselves, from the fact that they personally achieve very little. The king didn't build the castle. His underpaid and sometimes underfed staff did with the threat of the king's army as a method of curtailing any say they may have over pay and conditions or even whether or not they want to do it. Nothing's really changed. The king is the corporate ceo and the knights who threaten punitive behaviour are the cops and the military. Only the tech has changed. Cxx
HighCigar It's enough to make you despair when you realise how solidly in place the system is with it's façade of freedom. I had such a dilemma recently regarding the General Election. I had to vote Labour, I had no choice, they won my constituency with 41%, narrowly winning over the most hideous UKIP candidate who got 39%!
The reason they didn't air this is purely because Craig mentioned the water engine and the hemp oil engine, which is a big hush hush on national television for obvious reasons.
Maybe one of the reasons. The whole set up and the way it unfolded pushed more buttons than you could throw a stick at even though some of the more startling scenes were edited out to try and make the rich dudes look a little better in order to try and get it on prime-time TV. That being said the rich dudes still came across as a bunch of throwbacks. Over 80 hours of footage was shot and only 46 mins makes the edit in shows like these. The editor's job is wasteful at best and manipulative at worst. That being said this ended up a largely fair example of a genre that perhaps has no right to call itself "Reality TV". If it had been live and unedited an even greater indictment of corporate hierarchy and it's threat to the environment would have been achieved. Cxx
well said i agree
If that was all it was they'd have just edited it out. I think they didn't air it because it was basically a carbon copy of Wife swap with the only difference being the whole family go.
It was banned. It was ready to go and had already cost the production company tens of thousands of pounds. Remember it is 11 years old now and at the time these "reality" shows were still a novelty. The Director had the plug pulled on him. This was to be the first in a series of episodes and the whole franchise was dumped. Rumour has it the wealthy, influencial side took chagrin at the way they came across. Even mass media companies are in thrall to those who hold the purse strings. Rather than pay even more in litigation fees the Executive Producer stopped it being aired and then sought employment with another media company. Cxx
@@STlTCHlZ literally not like wife swap. Wife swap is just the family. this is their whole life not just inside of their home. Do you even pay attention?
im so glad this came on my recommended. i love watching things filmed in the early 2000s to see how things have changed in certain perspectives. and to craig, go you for standing up to the awful guy in the speech. the way they shot the program made you look bad, it's a shame that reality tv loves to make people who don't conform to a "typical" lifestyle as less than people who have more money. it's just as twisted as social media. i hope you, your wife and your child are doing well.
We are; as much as can be expected. Many thanks. Cxxxx
What a pair of snots. He's not even a self made millionaire, his father owned two factories. They're snobbery defines them as classless. Give me the Welsh musician any time. He has far more class.
The way they were looking at him when he was learning to ride was bloody disgraceful! These are the "upper class"? Spare me. The Welshman has much more class.
I see one couple that are good friends who can express their feelings. The other I see a wonderful business arrangement. Glad to see the class structure is alive and well. I know I would rather hang with the hippy couple.
They're horrible that Polo playing lot, secretly hate each other
They hate everyone and themselves
Craig - only half way through the episode so far but as someone who was raised working class I appreciate you! What a lovely family you have too - hope all is well with you and your amazing family!
Well done Craig for knocking that snob Andrew of his high horse and putting him in his place, agree with all you said to him.
Thanks for the comment. It's really appreciated. Cxxxx
I liked both men, and what Andrew said about finding something in the middle of the way they both live. Not his exact words, but he learned something from the experience.
Hard to like someone who cheats and lies, he didn't do as the show intended he kept changing everything with a phone call, hard to like people who can act
The one in glasses is absolutely spot on , every single thing he said and guess what everything he says they go and show him he is right. Well done for speaking up but just know they didn't listen because you know they don't care
These toffs oh its so unfair the lower class eat beans on toast while we have salmon and champaigne lmao
I wouldn't support the Polo families business and would start a boycott. Not only did the manager but the entire staff acted like they were better than the musician. I can't believe that more people didn't walk out of the auction after the comments that were spoken.
uniquetouch2008 The manager no longer works there, it said at the end of the show.I think that one man made a worse impression than anything the punk rocker man could have possibly done, as at least to the audience he was somewhat of a known quantity.
I find the Polo man and his family were fairly normal and respectable, albeit workaholic.
J BC Nothing normal or respectable about being a multi multi millionaire in a world where there are starving kids. At the time of this production Andrew Foreman owned majority shares in porta cabins worldwide. Made a bomb {no pun intended} out of the destruction of civilian properties in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm sure the death of people's kids at the hands of the RAF in those countries didn't come close to affecting him. Nothing respectable about that! Wherever someone has an excess of money like that many other people suffer in order for them to amass it and hoard it. I'm left considering this question..... how many starving kids does it take to make a multi-millionaire? Cxx
Barking up the wrong tree old chap.
Chalks away!
J BC Civilian bombing ok then? Shame people see profit in it rather than the horror of it..... unless it happens to them of course. Cxx
Anarchy ok then?
Non of my profit is from staving people, even the diamonds on my shoes, which are admittedly a little tight are ethically chosen.
The richest and poorest , like that wasn't fixed
Of course it wasn't fixed.... apart from an edit that made my swappee slightly more acceptable than he was in reality and the fact that 80 hours was edited down to 46.. The richest/poorest thing was my and my wife's idea. Rather that than poor and poorer still like a lot of "Reality Shows". When they wanted us to do it we told em to fuck off cos I see shows like that as a ritual humiliation of the public. This though highlights the ongoing UK class system and it's not a bad job of it which is why it was banned. It cost a bomb to make but Granada TV couldn't make us look bad enough for the mainstream channel {ITV} to air it. Plus the rich dudes probably had a hand in banning it too cos some of em acted like arseholes and it shows. Cxx
Amy Gregory I agree
Cannot believe her husband defended the bloke who called her lazy. She is not lazy in the slightest, this should of gone to air.
I can't believe I defended him either. A momentary fucking lapse of reason! Cxx
What's the point of participating, if you're not going to follow the rules. If he cheats here , you can probably guess that he cheats in his business too!
For me I felt both men had very good qualities, I respect Andrews entrepreneurial spirit and he genuinely seems like a decent, hard-working man. I think Craig is a very creative, free spirited type of guy. For a functioning society we need the types like Andrew and we need the types like Craig. Paul however was a disgraceful human-being,, completely devoid of manners and dignity. The way he treated craig and his family with such lack of respect angered me greatly, regardless of if Paul disagreed with their life-style choices he should of treated them with the same kind of respect that they treated him and he didn't
Thanks for your comments. I'm deeply flattered. Unfortunately Andrew was neither self made nor hard working. He was bloody good at delegating like anybody born and bred to take over their father's business empire. The show was weighted in Andrew's favour as far as it could be and the Director's excuse for editing it in that way was because he told me he wouldn't get it on mainstream TV if he didn't. I warned him that it wouldn't get aired unless he could edit it to show that myself and my family were beneath contempt and, alas, I was proved right. Cxx
did they pay you for doing the show?
Of course not. That's the appeal of "Reality TV" where executive producers are concerned. No actors fees. Cxx
No they didn't pay us for the show. That's the appeal of "Reality TV" where executive producers are concerned. No actor's fees. Cxx
@@HighCigar Sir you did yourself proud.A good man with morals.Most people seen that and you stood in integrity...
Craig is my hero.
This is our guess too. Even the director {Matt Calais} who has now made a name for himself as the executive producer of Come Dine With Me on UK TV doesn't know the truth behind why it was pulled. In the light of no reasons being given we can only assume there was corporate pressure thus proving once again that there is no real freedom of the press or media in the UK. Cxx
This is so much better than wife swap, I don't understand why they didn't air it, this would still be running now with millions of viewers. Great show. Thanks for the upload.
The rich can't have their secrets revealed
i really enjoyed this,so thank you for the upload....so glad he punched that snob with some good choice words....what a knock down...mohamid alley would have been proud of him.
alley
Yeah I work in disability 6 days per week and also do university and have a husband, house work etc etc. I'd never call myself a workaholic and I don't even have weekends. "don't ever do a job you don't want to do" - how stupid. How the hell would I pay my rent, support my family?? Life doesn't stop for me to find the perfect high paying job that I'm excited to go to every day.
Nobody said "find a high paying job that excites you" and only an idiot would be so stupid as to think that any job could be something to be consistently looked forward to on a daily basis but I truly believe that if people do jobs they don't want to do {on any level} and feel the only reason they are working is for cash then they generally fuck those jobs up, lead miserable lives and rarely see outside of the box thus leaving the rich to bully them and threaten their social and economic stability. Working with the disabled is an honorable profession and, if done well, something requiring a certain level of altruism and therefore enthusiasm. If more people worked with those principles in mind the world would certainly be a better place. Cxx
I was talking about what the rich guy said
thanks for posting this,I found it very engaging...and yes,predictably rigged in favor of the upper class snobs.Nice to see a small taste of the real attitudes at play behind the scenes of every upper-crust social function. Plus,in diligently reading the comments posted,I have gained a new word in my vocabulary...'celebritocracy' I am bound to be dropping that little gem into conversation for years to come-much appreciated.
There are various reasons why this "program" did not work. The first part of it set me off. I lived in Las Vegas and gambling bores me, you would not have all the big hotels if people didn't lose. People don't look at gambling as entertainment in which you are prepared to set a limit and be prepared to part with it for the experience. In casinos there are winners, but mostly losers. That led me to believe that in the game, someone will win and someone will lose. Despite judgments pointed out about Craig, I found him to be clever, a natural creative man, and someone who had a brilliant humor, as well as open-minded thought process. He looked at projects that would benefit mankind, not just ways to exploit others merely for financial gain. Despite what Paul thought, there are people who live humble lives, and if that is their choice, then it is wise not to insult the other person, even if you don't agree. This premise is clearly about classism, and it shows that society is hypocritical and rewards psychopaths. A lot of people that see this are not stupid, this is propaganda to kiss up to people in a higher class, however it is disgusting.
Thank you for your comments. The gambling bit and the name of the show was revealed to us at the end and I initially refused to do it. I told the director I objected to casinos and said it was misrepresenting me. The geezer virtrually had a breakdown. I conceded because I thought the program had teeth. The director wanted us so bad he followed my suggestion that we'd only do it if he swapped us with a mega rich family. The gambling concession was agreed after my wife and I discussed the pros and cons for over an hour while the director saw his budget hang from a thread along with his career. I knew the rich family would have it pulled and planned for the ongoing democratization of broadcasting through social media {the show was done in 05}. Although it left a bitter taste I compromised over the farcical roulette scene. I'm glad I did because so many people have seen this edit thanks to youtube. It's an example of what the powers that be refuse to admit and represent: the difference between the rich and their selfishness and the relatively poor and their sense of altruism and coimmunity. The Polo Club trainer Paul is, at present, serving a ten stretch in prison for repeatedly raping young and under age girls over a 15 year period. If I'd have realized that he and those around him were even worse than we suspected I would not have been so willing to compromise and play the game. That said if I'd have hit him the show would have aired and I'd be doing time while he acted like a victim, perhaps offestting later accusations by the poor girls he abused. Thanks for watching it. It means a lot considering your applaudable views on gambling. Cxx
@@HighCigar Thank you for discussing further activities behind the scenes. That Paul chap was so offensive, but he was a worse person than I thought. I am grateful that the poor girls put him in jail, people like that need to be accountable. After finding out what is really happening to people on these reality shows, I feel like the industry is deceptive and manipulative, in fact some lives have been affected for the worse afterward. I wish more people were able to expose what these execs do. I almost don't want to watch reality tellievision.
i came from a very well off family but i love Greg id rather chat with him then the snobs at the polo clubs yeah my parents made tons of money but they taught me to be humble and be kind to all walks of life
Well, you're a needle in a haystack, my friend . I avoid the very wealthy because of their attitude, like in this shoe. Money can NOT buy class or good morals and work ethics.
i love the part where you told the manager off ! straight up and honest ! AWESOME
i liked that too
Craig is absolutely diplomatic in the face of all this intolerance! They even saw his potential as a promoter, then freaked out, got all scared when he turned out not to be a total ass-kisser. Liking Craig more all the time. Who the hell wdn't want the troops home soon? Continued war is at the expense of the tax payer, that's what's "living off their backs". What a narcissistic f@#$! Go Craig, GO, CRAIG!!
I'm deeply flattered. Cxxxx
Just watched this agaIn...c/o Louis...blinding..!!!..well done mate!!!...xxx
Nice to see the guy decided to make changes in his life. However, the manager was a complete twunt. Good to see you and the family Craig.
So this was 10 years ago. They're still playing polo, I imagine.
The blonde woman's face when Craig spoke made me feel ill.
why would she cook beans on toast when they just took a delivery of veggies (and organic at that!!)....oh for the cameras lol
Watched this last night... excellent program... you are a legend Craig.. i'll buy you a beer at Sonic Rock next year ;)
Cheers Phil. Cxx
Great soundtrack with Portishead and DJ Shadow!
I love this! Much better than Wife swap.I like the idea that the whole family swaps everything.
the manager was out of order when he slagged the guest boss down in front of paying customers, both men did flout the rule but the millionair side let themselves down more .... glad that manager was sacked
I didn't flout the rule. The Director of the show told me my mates in Wales might be in trouble and advised I ring them to make sure and then the film crew filmed me secretly from outside a window and the narration makes it look like I rang them off my own back. A real dirty trick. The guy who swapped with me was not a self made millionaire either. His son told me the family inherited two factory farms from his grandfather. Cxx
what has his inheritance got to do with it ? the man still works hard to maintain his wealth ... any way I was not horrid about you , I am of the same mind set as you, I choose not to claim the £70 job seeker im allowed but as the system make me feel that I am a low and worthless so instead I live off very little and am happy with what I have, money and statue In my opinion stands for very little , it is how ones treats others and conducts themselves ..... You was mistreated by the staff of the gentleman , the manager underestimated your intelligence to his folly and now he has lost his job .. people like myself do see the truth so stop defending yourself and those who slag you off they don't really care for the truth , they just are being malicious.
I know you weren't horrid about me. It's just that when I rang Wales and they shot it from outside the window the narrator said that I had also decided to break the rules.... which, of course, was a lie. The narrator also introduced Andrew as a self made millionaire so I was merely pointing out that those things were not true in any sense. The Director was having to try and make my swappee look better than he was and us worse so that it would have a greater chance of being aired on mainstream TV. I guess the rich folks didn't make that easy for him. hahahahahaha. Thanks for your comments. They are appreciated. Cxx
they REALLY like portishead...cant blame em
Absolutely flabbergasted by that bus 'joke'. Also, shocking they wouldn't raise the money for the primary school. Seems philanthropy is a rich man's game, more about the rich man than the people they claim to 'help'
Paul, rersponsible for the "bus joke", was given a ten stretch for systematically raping under age girls over a fifteen year period. I think he's still in prison now. Even we didn't realize the full extent to which these corrupt bunch of hypocritical monsters are prepared to go. The whole experience verified our opinions and some! Thanks for your comments. Cxx
I loved reading your account of this. "Can we put him in a gimp mask?" Lulzy.
Dope af music in this
"Well, I say, I say, I saaaay" -Craig's best quote.
He changed lives with Jonny Lydon. LOL
Very funny. I am a contemporary of Lydons but have never consciously emulated him. Though I was into The Pistols when they first emerged I'm glad I didn't end up the sad sack Lydon's become. He's now got more in common with that Polo Club Trainer. hahahahahahahaha. Cxx
@@HighCigar Lololololol Love it.
Does John Lydon have a brother?
Brilliant concept
I think the manager got fired because of his comments at the polo charity thing.
For that a few other things. This is a 46 min edit but over 80 hours were filmed. His worst behaviour mostly didn't make the final edit cos the director thought that in watering it down he'd get in on TV. This was obviously never gonna happen. The rich came off too badly. Cxx
lol Craig is funny "that's bad magic innit" about them shooting animals, so true lol. Can't believe those jerks laughing at their average sized house.
hahhahahaha the beans and chips song is fucking ace
Im shocked at how awful that Polo Manager is. What a disgusting man. They decided to not save the primary school but redevelop the welsh valley.............. omg
thanks very interesting such polar opposites!
Im not surprised they didnt air it, it doesnt fit the narrative of 'make fun of the working class'. Instead, Craig expery turned the tables on them and showed the upper class for what they really are. The comments at the Ball were disguisting. Well done Craig!!!!
The polo club trainer {Paul} is at present doing ten years in prison for raping young girls over a fifteen year period. A period which covered the time of the lifeswap. We only found out a year or so ago. That he is even more corrupt than we suspected comes as no surprise. Thanks for your comments. They mean a lot. Cxx
@@HighCigarfucking hell!! Well actually not that surprising , its not really a secret anymore a lot of the supposed ‘ elite’ class are paedos
wow! the tent auction scene was absolutely unforgiving wasnt it. they all acted like high school bullies to the poor kid. such disrespect. keep on keepin on. oh i have questions. how has your life changed since this point of your life. and are you happy where you are? generally curious because you never know what happens in the after. and seeing that you reply to comments i have hopes to get a response.
Our lives have not changed at all. All our assumptions about those at the "top" of society were proven true with nothing gained other than anecdotal evidence that hierarchy sucks. Thanks for your comments. The school we were trying to save was closed and the fact that none of my swapee's estate cared proves their so called charity work is just hot air & PR. Cxx
wow! thank you for this response and giving me more insight on other peoples ways of life and how they perceive happyness. everyone has their own morals and a true individual keeps with them. you had the balls to do this show and take all that. you are truly a strong willed individual. i just want to say thanks for some of the lessons i learned from watching this.
It felt like it was straight out of a 90s high school movie. Disgusting
Wow this works on so many levels :) Isn't it nice not to get your entertainment spoon-fed for once??
I have to admit I started out as a bit of Paul advocate Thought he,s a nice person just been very sheltered from the reality of life. I suppose someone has to
In one way I can see his point of view. If no one works then who supports the system ? He dose not seem to bare in mind how extremely hard it to fined work or start something with little or no money .
Then he's never had to & even if he did his connections & name would carry him trough with out much threw or effort from Paul
The way he behaved at that gala was nothing but crude !!! That remark about the Pakistanis was vile Thats the upper class is it YIKES & think what his Mummy & Daddy paid on schooling should have just given him a hug
Keiran needs to relax and discuss her disagreement rather than bite, yes she is a Mom, and the most important job in the world, we respect.
Understanding the views of others is an eye-opening learning curve no matter your own life journey or views. How to influence others....understand them and use honey. Rebellion is easy, but how you use it to promote an effect is not. Choose your battles well. With kind thoughts, Western Australia.
I would argue rebellion is difficult. Contrition out of expedience is easy which is perhaps why the world is dying. Paul, the Polo Club Manager, is serving ten years in prison at present for consistently raping under-aged girls over a fifteen year period including the time we were at Tickton Hall. If I'd have known at the time I would have been even less genial. It's not about accepting differing opinions. It's about right and wrong and that guy is about as wrong as it gets. Maybe my wife's reaction to him proves that female intuition is a thing. Cxx
Here’s a link to my least favoured British newspaper. Even The Daily Mail reported it. He must have severely pissed off his peer group that they turned on him. Nothing short of that would have got him prosecuted cos these bastards are usually above the law. This is probably the tip of the ice-berg. Fuck knows what else he’s done. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6675039/Polo-club-owner-53-raped-sexually-assaulted-four-women-jailed.html
This show needs to exist
Just watched this and have to say Craig High is the man Xxx
Massive Attack- "Angel"
I love this song
Arrogance and cheating! Alas the heartlessness and snobbery is sickening..I wonder if heart dis-ease is more rampant among the materially wealthy, certainly the energetic stage is set for imbalance and a certain rigidity and gluttony which would deny the common man/wombman a simple meager life with dignity and glamorize material values no mater how unethical and wretched. Great show!
Relatively little was swapped if you look at the way the guy kept in touch with his estate behind the backs of the film crew and in violation of a written agreement not to do so. Very little power or information was given concerning the running of the estate and most of the actual responsibility seems to be delegated to numerous staff so that most of the week was recreational with a little networking. Livelihoods were only under threat from the appalling behaviour of the estate itself. Cxx
Lily is adorable!
You see a difference between Richard 1st and Richard Branson? Does the phrase "people people" not imply manipulation and divisiveness in getting something out of them..... like long hours for little pay? Cxx
You came off as the bigger man Craig, hope you and your family are doing well all these years later. Don't let the bastards grind you down!!!
Cheers. It took a great deal of self discipline. Yeah we're doing as well as can be expected and have stuck to our principles. Contrary to the slanted voice over we've remained extremely busy over the years but I guess a job isn't counted as a job if there's no wage incentive. My swappee's marriage crashed and burnt after that rare moment of television clarity. He kept sending us Xmas cards for some years after and though I felt a little guilty not responding Kiran and I considered it an act of hypocrisy pretending some kind of friendship; especially since he was instrumental in having the show banned. I'd like to think we twanged his conscience but I fear any apparent altruism from his end is nothing more than an act of expediency; all part of his wholly Machievellian approach to life. His "friends" boiled down to little more than competitors and arse lickers from what we could see. Even with our politics we were shocked at how predictable their selfish lifestyle actually was. What you see is what you get I guess. Hope you are well. Cxx
I like the hippy a lot, but I think to recieve benefits you need to work to pay taxes. The problem is for people that work even a little bit are given no benefits (at least here in america) and pay taxes on top of it. It is messed up, but on top if he has worked before and getting pensions and support from paying taxes with that, then I think his way of life is awesome. As long as he can feed his family, keep them safe, and be happy, right on to him!
This is a great show & should of been aired 👍🏾 the bad class of the rich, GOOD the polo manager was fired sounds better. He has no class & embarrassed the rich of his conduct
He was in fact from a higher station in society than the {not so} self made millionaire. He went on to start a rival polo club of his own near his ex employer's estate. They are all cut from the same cloth alas. Cxx
So what's the expression? "Shocked but not surprised". What's ironic to me is this.....anyone from the wealth class would almost certainly agree with Paul's analysis of Craig's tirade at the end of the programme. And they would be completely wrong. Craig was justifiably angry and made consistent, relevant points. But cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing and that almost (but not quite) makes me feel sorry for those concerned.
I thank God I'm not in that class. I wouldn't last a week anyway. There are simply too many qualities which inform one's moral integrity that would have to be abandoned in order to survive as a member. Caring for others simply because it's the right thing to do is one. Honesty and integrity are a couple more. The list is probably much longer than I can even begin to imagine.
Good on you Craig and all the very best.
Signed, a Canadian.
+camabelu e I didn't last a week! hahahahaha. Everybody was surprised I lasted that long.... especially me. The production crew were predictably concerned I wasn't gonna blow at all.... confrontation being their raison d'être whether they care to admit it to themselves or not. The whole experience was much more predictable than I could have ever hoped for. Each opportunity we gave "the wealth class" to do the right thing was either ignored, thrown back in our faces or treated like a game and to be honest the production crew were not a lot different. Even the offer of a job at Landrover UK was based on my "sales acumen" with no real interest in my environmental agenda at all. My swappee's inner cabal with their final indifference to the plight of a local school close to us, which did indeed close soon after the show was filmed, against the will of our local community and the school staff, epitomizes the lack of importance those with financial power give to the betterment of all; quite apart from the hunting, the competition, the racism, the profiteering, the warmongering and the strict top down medieval hierarchy that defines their lives. I was so taken aback by being "shocked but not surprised" that I immediately recited my experiences into a Dictaphone when we got back and a mate transcribed it. The results can be read through this link.... highpanch.org.uk/lifeswap/index.htm Thank you for your comments. I still wonder at times if the line in the sand is of my own making and as a result of my inability or unwillingness to conform to an innate capitalist model. Your comments, however, further my belief that that model is not "human nature" per sé and has been historically pushed onto us by the minority of people who disproportionately profit from it. I wouldn't have that on my conscience for all the tea in China. Cxx
Damn the rich people where really really rude.... Hate those kinda of people, my parents could be them
the song in the intro is massive attack angel
In Britain pissed means drunk. I gather you mean pissed in the US phraseology meaning "angry". I dunno. Seems to me the only righteous indignation here should really be with the poor folk. They have a bigger axe to grind than someone sitting on their arse playing polo, drinking 80 dollar bottles of wine and calling it work. Cxx
I would watch the shit out of this!
'Don't ever do a job you don't want to do', it's such an obvious statement that makes complete sense to me, I can't understand the mindset of anyone who thinks otherwise yet in todays society you are condemned for such beliefs, made to feel like a leech on society just because you aren't prepared to follow a path leading to depression at best.
Brilliant absolutely brilliant
Certainly reconfirms my suspicions about business class snobbery.
Beans n chips, beans n chips, beans n beans n beans n chips...thanks 😂 gonna be stuck in my mind for days
Lol Craig is actually a good poet and should take up writing full time
He writes books! Awesome books!
@@keepfitforunfitpunkswithdo3070 that's good to know. I need to find some.
"shes not striving for anything, they laze about" - well she's a lot more emotionally and spiritually advanced than them and spends way more time with her child, so obviously she strives for meaningful things in her life, whereas the other boneheads focus on sports, shooting animals and controlling everything to maintain their sanity. That's ridiculous
Woke and broke 😆👌 lucky lady
Craig & his wifes views... All the way for me.❤️
Bizarre that this showed up in my feed today. I’m in US.
😅 why is that bizarre
I adore Craig he amazing
Just found this I'm in Australia and I love Craig great poet awesome family man and I agree I hate liars and cheats
Just reliazed that they refused to show it and what a bunch of snobs who the f..ck do they think they are 🤬 looking down on Craig and his family makes me sick
I instantly knew they would choose the richest guy to swap with the poorest guy
It was my idea. They shot the roulette thing at the end and initially I said I didn't agree with it but they literally begged me to do it. When we were asked to go on the show we told em to fuck off cos we thought "Reality" shows were a ritual humiliation of the public. They asked us under what conditions we'd do it so we said it would only be of use if it highlighted the economic inequalities in the society we live in. They said ok and actually pulled it off by convincing the other guy it was a "Wife Swap" and then told him to take his family at the last minute. I told em that it wouldn't get aired unless me and my wife were made to look bad. I was right. To be honest I think the rich dudes had it cancelled. They didn't bank on RUclips I guess. Cxx
Craigs a good guy
Love the levellers t shirt
Craig Rocks my world!🌰🌱🌼 very awake🌈💖
Woke and broke 😆👍🏼
ha, I thought I clicked on Wife Swap. this was interesting, although I was waiting for the facetoface between the two family's at the end, which never happened....
It did happen. I made the rich fella look stupid so they edited it out along with some of the more extreme moments; in a desperate bid to get it on mainstream TV which never happened anyway. It had been commissioned for prime time but was banned by the powers that be. Cxx
+HighCigar I don't recall him being disrespectful towards your lifestyle, he actually said he learned something from being in your shoes for a week. as for the ranch manager, he was disrespectful to you. I don't know what was said during the final meeting but why do you say you made him look stupid...
Well what you do know should answer that even though the edit was managed to make him look better than he was. He cheated. He is a monarchist, a blood sport supporter, a multi-millionaire in a world with starving kids, a guy who was about to tear up some of the Welsh countryside to build a luxury sports center, an advocate of the bombing of Iraqi civilians in the UK and US invasion underway at the time of filming in 2005 and he was a gross waster of energy {his pool used as much electricity as the whole London council estate we used to live on}. If none of those things are reprehensible to you it may help if I throw a few more facts at you that were edited out along with our one-to-one but were relevant to it considering what I found out during the week: he wasn't self-made. He had inherited two factory farms from his father, had driven all the surrounding farmers off their land to expand his own base in Yorkshire; at times using threats of violence according to his son. He had gangsters follow me about during the polo club ball and was close friends with the officer over-seeing the occupation of Basra at the time the lifeswap was shot. He owned over half the world's shares in porta-cabins and was raking it in as a result of the US and UK bombing of Iraq and Afghanistan. What's the quick easy way to replace bombed accommodation? Porta-cabins. Yes he appeared to have learned about our lifestyle but did nothing to stop the closure of the primary school we were trying to save with the event he sang at and his feelings towards us may have appeared to be positive but they were empty words; the words of a salesman trying to make himself look better than he was. There was plenty more that disgusted me but I'll spare you a longer essay. You obviously have less qualms about people with too much money than I. One last thing, he threatened the director in a car park with myself and my wife as witnesses saying it wouldn't go well for him if he made him look like a prick. The director had got him on the show by telling him it was a wife swap {ironic considering your reasons for watching it}. Both the director, my wife and I think he was the power that had it banned from mainstream TV so he also condones censorship with no real respect for what we stood for at all. We had to give gifts to each other {also edited out of the final cut} which the producers of the program paid for. He got us a computer {no better than the one we already had} and we got him a load of books about recycling and renewable energy from the Center of Alternative Technology in North Wales. Important stuff for the super-rich to support considering the environmental meltdown the industry and warfare he profits from is causing. To our knowledge he did nothing with the information because there is simply not enough of an immediate personal profit in trying to save the planet. Ho hum. So it goes.
the video is good, but the book is even better (see link in description)
Where are other episodes for this show?
The whole series was cancelled as a result of the banning of this pilot. Cxx
Thank you, was very interesting eye opening watch, the racism comment disgusted me - hope things are well in 2017.
Things are as well as can be expected. Thank you very much for your comments. Yeah the racism is what finally tipped me over the edge. All these years later and this post is getting a healthy number of hits. The truth will out I guess. Cxx