Ladette to Lady (Australia), Tuesday 9pm, ITV1

Posted by Jane Murphy

Having tired of transforming the UK’s numerous ladettes into posh-talking, tea-making, flower-arranging debutantes, the hoity-toity staff of Eccleston Hall finishing school have cast their net further afield. This series, they’re attempting to work their magic on eight “loud, vulgar, drunken and dangerous” Australians. Yep, it’s just like Australian Princess - but without Paul Burrell.

Still, school principal Mrs Harvard and her faithful sidekick Mrs Shrager do a very good job of drilling their pupils in the rigid - and, it has to be said, largely irrelevant - disciplines of the ruling classes.

Some sample lessons? How to balance a tray of drinks on your head (handy in crowded pubs). How to pronounce vowels with a bone stuck between your teeth (handy if you’re a talking dog). And how to hold a conversation with the "UK’s most eligible bachelors" (handy if you ever find yourself stuck in a lift with a bunch of honking poshos).

Needless to say, the Aussie contingent appeared slightly baffled by their new surroundings - and quickly set about upsetting the staff by doing naughty things such as stealing booze, flashing their bottoms at inopportune moments and balancing CDs on their nipples. Special mention must go to Brisbane slacker Faye who opted to kiss one of the other girls instead of paying attention to the specially invited gentlemen callers.

At times, Ladette to Lady seems more like a gentle sitcom than a reality show - particularly the obviously scripted exchanges between Mrs Harvard and Mrs Shrager - although that’s not really a criticism. In short, the whole thing’s utterly pointless - but also highly watchable.

Picture: ITV

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