Regional Identity

I watched season 1, episode 1 of both The Only Way is Essex (2010- ) and Made in Chelsea (2011- ). These are two very successful shows in the UK, and I would argue that they both have a similar audience as both of these shows aim to show off the lifestyles of people who live in Essex and the people who live in Chelsea.
There are obviously multiple differences between the shows, you can tell this by simply looking at their titles. Chelsea is seen as a more upper class area, as it is very close to central London, which means the people living there are wealthy. Whereas the people from Essex are stereo-typically known for being unintelligent and promiscuous.

From the very first episode of The Only Way is Essex, it is clear that the characters massively focus on their appearance and the opposite sex. The vocabulary used throughout the episode includes of "babe" and "fit birds", this might be relatable to some audiences. The fact that the male characters call the females "fit birds" shows the lack of respect they have for them and that they're very shallow as they focus on their appearances. In the episode, the female characters are seen in beauty salons or clothing stores, and the men are seen at the gym to pass time. This implies to the audience that the characters care a lot about their appearance. Although the characters in Made in Chelsea seem to have similar interests, but they appear to be more educated as they discuss books and don't use any slang language, unlike discussing "vajazzles". The music in the TV shows is also an important aspect. In The Only Way is Essex the background music consists of the mainstream songs you'd hear on the radio such as "Frisky" by Tinie Tempah ft. Labrinth; in Made in Chelsea the background music is by the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra which is much more classy and sophisticated. Although "airplanes" by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams, which would be considered as a pop song.

In Made in Chelsea, the men and women clearly love to take care of themselves and wear nice outfits. The difference between it and The Only Way is Essex is that they shop in shops such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton as they're shown at the beginning of the show. Additionally, unlike the men in The Only Way is Essex who go to the gym as a hobby, the male characters in Made in Chelsea go canoeing and talk about playing polo. This shows a clear contrast in social class between the two shows, as only wealthy people would be known to be doing such activities. Furthermore, the divide in class and status is shown through the setting, in Made in Chelsea the characters are seen drinking champagne and cocktails in a club in central London. Unlike in The Only Way is Essex, where they all go to a local club.
The shows start off very similarly as they both have two male friends discussing females in the car while they're driving; which shows that the genres and themes of the shows are very similar.