Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole â Leah Newton from Hull defends appearance on controversial documentary By Hull Daily Mail | Posted: July 05, 2014 By Joanna Hunter A HULL woman has defended her decision to appear on a controversial television programme about living on benefits. Leah Newton will be seen by millions of viewers on Channel 5's Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole on Monday night. When programme-makers started filming in Hull in March it sparked criticism from residents and politicians, who claimed the city would be unfairly portrayed in a bad light. There were fears it could tarnish Hull's reputation so soon after achieving UK City of Culture 2017 status and there were calls for residents not to co-operate with the programme. The council tenant, who lives alone with her dog, Molly, in east Hull, said: "I wanted to have my say and speak my mind. "I've got my opinions. I can't help who I am. I've got nothing to hide. "It's about time someone spoke up. Everything that has come out my mouth is true." Asked whether she thought programmes like this could damage a city's reputation, Ms Newton said: "I'd say 'well, what is it that I've done wrong?' I'm not bringing Hull down. "In Hull we've got the boxing and the rugby. I've said good things about Hull and the culture thing, but we are still forgotten on the estates. "The MPs should listen to us all." Ms Newton was filmed across several days in her house and garden and also in the corner shop in Newbridge Road, east Hull. She said she spoke frankly on camera about "all sorts", including the impact of the so-called "bedroom tax", immigration and her dislike of the Government. She said: "I spoke about the bedroom tax, and about David Cameron â I think I said I'd punch him in the face if I saw him. "The bedroom tax stinks, it costs me an extra £12 a week and that is a lot out your dole. It hits you like that. "There isn't enough houses since all this immigration. "They want me to go in a flat. I'd rather burn myself and this house down then go in a flat. "I said I blame the Government, they've all made mistakes." Ms Newton said she also spoke about her difficulties getting a job. "I tried, tried and tried to get a job," she said. "I don't want to be at home all day because I'm cracking up. "I want my independence back. I don't want to live off the dole for the rest of my life." Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole follows programmes such as Channel 4's Skint and Benefits Street, which caused an outcry over how the areas and people living in them were portrayed. However, Ms Newton said this programme "isn't like that". She said: "It annoyed me they were all slagging the show off before it had even started. How could they even talk about it when they hadn't even seen it? "It's down to earth, it's real. "I trust them (Channel 5), and said 'if you stitch me up, I'll come looking for you'." But she has not had an advance viewing of Monday's episode, which airs at 9pm, and admitted: "I am getting nervous now â I don't know what I've said half the time." Hull North MP Diana Johnson has been highly critical of the decision to film the programme in Hull. She said: "We'll see on Monday night whether our worries about how Hull will be portrayed, based on our past experience of many of these benefits 'documentaries' in recent years, will be well-founded or not. "I'll be asking whether it adds anything new to viewers' understanding of the issues covered or whether the programme is just designed to attract a hostile response from the public, through showing an unbalanced, selective and stereotyped image of Hull." Read more at http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Bene...-Newton-Hull/story-21332677-detail/story.html Is it a generational thing or just East Hull? Maybe she pines for the days of Ricky Beaumont and Roger Tighe?
She's been manipulated by Channel 5. "I trust them (Channel 5), and said 'if you stitch me up, I'll come looking for you'." But she has not had an advance viewing of Monday's episode, which airs at 9pm, and admitted: "I am getting nervous now – I don't know what I've said half the time."
She'd punch David Cameron in the face and burn her house down with her inside it. Brace yourselves for the Hull jokes folks, she's going to look a disgrace on national telly and the single brain cell sheep who watch these programmes will guzzle up every bit of it and conclude that all of Hull is the same.
There's folks like her in most UK towns and cities, don't think anyone will think we're on our own in that respect. Most of it has already been said by local politicians an MPs, about voyeuristic and exploitative tv, and about distorted pictures of the the areas they film. Viewing public being encouraged to enjoy the freakshow, the desperate, the odd and the unwary victims: they're as bad as the people they're watching.
The east side is kind of like a republic within Hull, where they choose to cherish all the **** the things and fear life at the other end of Clough Road. I'd never really encountered any East Hullers til I started work in a large office aged 20, and didn't realise the sheer size of the chip on their shoulder about West Hull. "West Hull just full o' Kosovans. Rervers or FC?" "No it isn't, and neither" "He's ****ing weird. Posh bastard" "Bye."
Like I said the people who watch these things are the types who will judge the whole city based on these isolated **** ups, which every town will have anyway. You said as much in your last sentence. Anyone with half a brain will know to avoid this type of programme. I'll be watching it.
Party i lived in the east side of Kingston upon Hull for about 38 years, born in west hull. You come across as a bigot.
I don't know much about the geography of Hull, I come from Chichester originally on the south coast and probably people would judge me for that, but I'll tell you I'd punch that bastard Squah in the mush too given the opportunity. The attacks on disabled people are totally unjustified via the bedroom tax, common instances involving couples where one partner is severely disabled to the point where the caring partner needs to sleep in a separate bedroom, yet still have their benefit reduced because that wicked law decides that they cohabit and don't need the extra room. Also throw into the mix that people on ESA like myself are being dragged through these ATOS tests. I live in Portsmouth and was sent an ATOS letter directing me to go to the other side of the IOW to take the fitness test. This would have meant travelling by bus, boat, then another bus for about 2 hours at a cost of about £20. I rang up to question this and was given an appointment in a place about a mile from where I live. They are deliberately trying to frighten people into not going through with the test, by initially making it as awkward as possible to go. I asked why I wasn't referred to the place down the road in the first place, instead of all the way to the Isle of Wight and was told "oh it's a clerical error" This Government is F**king corrupt to the core.
****ing typical that this is the only episode that wont clash with any World Cup games therefore ensuring the highest viewing figures of the series.
Aren't they all? Thankfully ours isn't so bad as others. These little things are a nuisance, but they are just little things. Compare to other places in the world where government officials are paid off to allow drug trafficking, human trafficking, get gangs off the hook for atrocities such as murder etc... Our quarrels pale into significance in the face of what other people in the world have to suffer from their governments and we should be thankful that all we have to whinge about are things like bedroom tax. Not that it makes it right.
That's true. I've made several visits to Brasil down the years, now they have had some really corrupt politicians. Times have changed there now and finally the country is realising it's massive potential. By resource and size they should have been, for a long time one of the richest countries on the planet, so the scale of corruption there must have been immense.
Having seen her photo in the HDM I'm not surprised she lives on her own with her dog. I'm puzzled as to how the dog put up with her.
