A Million Pound Place in the Sun

We have a short time each evening between Audrey going to sleep and both of us flaking out entirely where we can watch an hours uninterrupted TV.

Last night I was lucky enough to catch 'A Place in the Sun' on Channel 4. For people unfamiliar with the concept, basically people (mostly British ex-pats) wander round properties throughout Europe before deciding that none of them really fits the bill. The people then head back to Blighty (having taken Channel 4 for a free holiday). Usually the properties on offer are villas, farmhouses or apartments, in varying stages of repair, but last night was different as it was a 'special'.

The show was re-named as such to 'A Million Pound Place in the Sun'. It featured 22 year old WAG Charlotte Mears - fiancee to Jermain Defoe (a fair to middling Premiership football player who occasionally plays for Spurs). Accompanied by the shows host - the buxom Amanda Lamb, Charlotte and her mum toured four or five houses around Mallorca in search of a million pound holiday home for her and Jermain. (They already had a home worth 3 million pounds in the UK). Jermain stayed at home, but was regularly contacted by phone.

Charlotte's blonde-dumbness was the real highlight. At one point she asked Amanda why the wallpaper in one room was so shiny - only for Amanda to reply 'Because it's marble'. During a heart-felt phone conversation to Jermain (hello babe) she told him that she found buying a holiday home for a million pounds different to buying shoes or a handbag. It did seem to take her three viewings before she came to this realisation though.

Eventually Charlotte settled on a property 'The White House', on the market at nearly 2 million pounds (Jermain'll love it), but was unfortunately thwarted when their offer of two hundred grand less than the asking price (cheapskates) was refused by the vendors. Amanda summed up the programme by informing us that both Jermain and Charlotte will continue to 'negotiate with the vendor over the next few weeks'.

Then came the show's sucker punch...as the credits rolled the voice-over chap informed us that 'Since the filming of the programme Charlotte and Jermain have split up' and then added with perfect comic timing 'oh dear'. I must admit I laughed out loud...I'm no financial expert, but I think the days of poor Charlotte looking for 2 million pounds holiday homes may be over.