Benefits Street / Saints and Scroungers

Just seen that BBC One is re-running Saints and Scroungers a year after first broadcast. It is billed as a “Series following fraud officers as they bust the benefits thieves stealing millions of pounds every year, while charities and councils track down people who actually deserve government help.”  From the listings on BBC iPlayer, it is clear that there is more about busting benefits thieves stealing millions than about “people who actually deserve government help.”  So much for BBC ‘balance’. Can Benefits Street be as bad as Saints and Scroungers? Examples:

SERIES 4. Episode 9
9/20 Havering Council discover a £168,000 fraud behind a seemingly single mum. FIRST BROADCAST: 21 Feb 2013

SERIES 4. Episode 10
10/20 Croydon Council learn they have been paying out claims for empty or derelict homes. FIRST BROADCAST: 22 Feb 2013

There’s no thread on ‘Benefits Street’ (that I can find) so I thought I’d create this one and refer to the several related threads which are:
No such thing as bad publicity
TV getting it right at last
The Future State of Welfare with John Humphrys - BBC2 Thursday 27 October 2013

I have to admit I love watching the ‘scrounger’ stories on S and S.  Some of them are so blatant it’s hilarious…...