TV, Essex and being known

There's a TV programme I'm finding myself talking about more and more recently.  It's not my usual viewing fare and to be honest I've only seen it a handful of times, and I'm not defending myself, but it's usually when Cassie my wife has it on and I'm on the sofa working on the laptop.  It's the televisual version of Marmite....it's either loved or hated and there tends not to be too much middle ground.  So, what's this programme I speak of, which sparks much debate?  Is it a hard hitting revelatory documentary series or the latest 'controversial' comedy?  It's actually a show called "The Only Way is Essex".  It seems that everyone I speak to is at the very least aware of the show even if they haven't seen it.  However if you haven't you can find out about the show (via it's Wikipedia entry) here.

I've got to say I'm not a fan.  Whilst I appreciate it's an 'entertainment' show, the marketing spiel used to promote the programme does say "It shows real Essex people" and gives the impression that Essex is full of people who spend their lives at various social events, parties and not much time in the 'real world'.  Whilst half of the clients I meet at London based, the remaining half either live, work or run businesses in Essex.  My impression of the typical individual who lives in Essex are intelligent, entrepreneurial, hard working people who are about as far removed from the typical TOWIE cast member as can be.  I understand that the programme can only portray a certain aspect of the community within Essex and that's understandable....however a true representation of the majority of us it's not.  One redeeming factor of the show is there are examples of individuals running relatively successful businesses.  Whilst I understand it's "light entertainment" and I'm not expecting TOWIE to be an Essex version of "The Apprentice", I'd like to see more of this aspect of Essex Life instead of the interpretation that all we are interested in is fake tan, nightclubs and dating.

My other issue with this show is that it reinforces the relatively modern belief that the only route to success is to be 'famous for famous sake'.  As many of you know, I have two daughters (Charlotte, who's 8 and Sophie, who's 6 months old) and I'd rather reinforce my belief that it's more important to be known for high personal and professional standards, hard work and integrity...as opposed to just being 'known'.  As always, these are just my thoughts...so, what do you think?  Do you disagree with me and think TOWIE is a true reflection of Essex?  Should I see it as just an entertainment show and not look for any other context?  What do you think the best reflection of your local area is?  I look forward to hearing your thoughts....