TOWIE and Made in Chelsea turn-off house hunters

The Only Way Is Essex

TOWIE, Made in Chelsea, Geordie Shore and The Valleys may be popular with viewers, but new research claims they are preventing people from buying homes in the areas they are set.

The Only Way Is Essex has tarnished its filming location the most- what is being dubbed “The Towie effect”- as almost half of the UK say they now think Brentwood, Essex is “less desirable” as a direct result of seeing Mark, Arg, Amy, Joey and friends on the hit ITV show.

Even salubrious Chelsea's image has been damaged by the antics of Spencer, Jamie, Millie, Cheska et al in the E4 Show. A third of Brits felt Made in Chelsea made the sought after luxury location a less desirable postcode.

Local residents were much more sensitive to the impact that Geordie Shore and The Valleys were having on their region. In the North East 55% of people felt Geordie Shore was having a “Towie effect” on Newcastle, making it a less desirable location, whereas across the country only 38% shared this view.

In Wales 40% of respondents thought Cardiff’s reputation has been lowered by The Valleys, compared to a national average of 30%.