Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

[tammyy2j]

Channel 4’s fly-on-the-wall documentary series ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’ was a ratings smash for the channel last night, with 7 million tuning in.
Early overnight ratings said the controversial show drew 6million viewers in the vital 9pm timeslot – with a whopping 1million tuning in an hour later on Channel 4+1.
However, many critics and viewers felt that the show had some inappropriate scenes, particularly involving children getting ready for their first communion.
The views of Shelagh Fogarty, BBC presenter on the Nicky Campbell Radio Five show, were typical:
“I was astonished to see six-year-old girls in boob tubes, miniskirts, high heels and more make-up than you could shake a stick at, receiving communion for the first time in their lives. It seemed so bizarre.”
Siobhan Freegard, of parenting website Netmums said: “In this case it is not about making the children sexy.
“They are just dressed up like dolls. But the outcome in some cases can be sexualisation.”
Rachel Varley, writing in Metro, said: “This week, we had little girls with the carefully honed hip movements of thirty-year-old prostitutes.”
The debate continues as to whether the series is a point-and-giggle exploitation, or a revealing, sympathetic look at a fascinating subculture.
Either way, people are watching.

Anyone watching?

[Siobhan]

I see one of these before.. it was mental the dresses that they had on.. Some of them weight 3 times the weight of the girl getting married..

[tammyy2j]

I see one of these before.. it was mental the dresses that they had on.. Some of them weight 3 times the weight of the girl getting married..

The brides look about 13 years old

[Siobhan]

The brides look about 13 years old

Yeah.. most of them marry very young as they are very devout and don't believe in sex before marriage so they married to have sex... They dress like slappers but none of them are like that.. it was very inciteful as these girls draw their own dresses and most when they were kids... Also they are on the fly weddings.. they can't announce the venue until nearly on the day cause if it gets out that they are gipsy, most pubs/hotels etc cancel on them

[alan45]

CHRISTINE Bleakley was transformed into a gypsy today as she donned a huge pink wedding dress on Daybreak.
The Irish presenter found out what it felt like to wear one of the massive frocks favoured by the girls on Channel 4's hit series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

She was helped into the dress - which weighed one-and-a-half stone - by mum and daughter team Norma and Emma Green, who create many of the outfits on the show.

Waddling onto the ITV1 show's set, Christine - who is dating Frank Lampard - told viewers: "I've customised it with a hanky to cover my modesty - that's not really meant to be there."

And she joked: "My other half is currently running a mile, you know that?"

After she managed to reach the Daybreak sofa where she sat with co-host Adrian Chiles, Christine, 31, added: "I've still got my jeans on just in case...honestly It feels about five or six stone, my hips have already got little cuts in them, isn't that incredible?

"So fair play, as we say in Ireland, to anyone who can wear a dress like this."

The frock was a toned-down version of the massive 14-stone dress that Sam, 17, was seen in on Tuesday's show.
Her creation included mechanical butterflies and flashing lights.

The series follows gypsy girls as they make plans for their big day, complete with elaborate dresses and celebrations.

The show sparked outrage this week after it showed a six-year-old girl getting a spray tan before her first holy communion.

Little Marianne told cameraman she thought she was at the right age to start tanning.

Campaigners warned that spray tanning such young girls might "sexualise" them.
The episode also featured a group of eight-year-old girls dancing provocatively in skimpy outfits and heavy make-up.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding has become Channel 4's top-rating show for three years, with peak audiences of 7.1million viewers.

[Katy]

i am loving this show, its really interesting to see into there lives. The dresses are mental, that poor little girl in the communion dress that burned and cut all her side, but she was having a great time in al fairness! id quite like to go to one of them weddings they look really fun and throw a cracking party.

[Siobhan]

Yeah.. gypsy wedding always look like it would be great fun and as for communions they always go all out.. one of the girls near my mum arrived in a helicopter!!!

[ali does soap]

Thinking this may give an insight into an alternative culture, I was looking forward to seeing the show, I have watched both episodes, and am in shock!! I cannot believe that the church allow children to dress like that to take communion, they looked like parodies of street walkers, and the state of that poor childs body, grazed and cut from the dress....
I am a normal (some would even say funky) nan, and I think this is total madness, I cannot believe that the adults here think children dressing and dancing like this is O.K.
To me it would have paedophiles reaching for the video record button, wholly inappropriate and surely tantamount to child abuse or neglect? Was that six year old undressed as she was being interviewed about the spray tan? The rest of us are not even allowed to take photos at school productions, yet travellers can parade young children about like this it's sick....

[inkyskin]

i watch it..it's chav-tastic, although why they'd want to get married at the age of 17 is beyond, wonder what the divorce rate (if any) is in the traveller world.

[Siobhan]

i watch it..it's chav-tastic, although why they'd want to get married at the age of 17 is beyond, wonder what the divorce rate (if any) is in the traveller world.

Very Little Inky... they will stay together even if it is a bad relationship.. as I said, they are very devout to the catholic religion which doesn't approve of divorce