Channel 4 fans are slamming the networks newest refugee reality series, Go Back to Where you Came Fr (Image: Channel 4)
Channel 4 fans slammed reality series, Go Back to Where you Came From. The series follows six individuals as they journey from “two of the most dangerous cities on earth” back to the UK and put their outspoken views on immigration to the test.
Split into two groups of three, the line-ups were sent to Mogadishu in Somalia and Raqqa in Syria, as they travel migrant routes through Africa, the Middle East and Europe into the UK.
Fans slammed the series on X, as many claiming they switched off minutes into the docuseries.
One said: “I was considering watching #gobacktowhereyoucamefrom but decided against it as I’m sure the ignorance on display would only annoy and depress me.”
Another added: “How anyone can watch this is beyond me.”
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The contestants were sent to Mogadishu in Somalia and Raqqa in Syria (Image: Channel 4)
A third added: “20 minutes in im Already p****d off” and “Programme is a set up ! Bye.”
The controversial series is based on a successful three-season Australian show which originally aired in 2011.
It promises an “unflinching look at the truth of immigration” and a “bold and timely” entry into the debate around immigration in the UK.
Amnesty International dubbed the show as “deeply disappointing” and they rightly call it ‘sensational’ TV.
Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais, echoed: ‘You can’t mimic the experience of war, torture, persecution and modern slavery through the sanitised lens of reality TV.’
The first group saw British Pakistani Muslim Bushra alongside Dave and Chloe, with the latter two being immigration sceptics, arriving in the Syrian city of Raqqa.
Group two had a similar set-up with pro-refugee voice Mathilda journeying across Mogadishu in Somalia with Nathan and Jess, who are vocally anti-immigration.
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The show promises an “unflinching look at the truth of immigration” (Image: Channel 4)
The reality of life for refugees was starkly apparent as Chloe described her urgent awakening during their travels, remarking, “We were gobsmacked by the poverty in Syria. People were still fleeing because the poverty was off the scale.”
Describing the experience as “eye-opening,: Dave reflected: “It was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the world and understand things… I started talking to locals and they were dead nice.” His motivations stem from personal ties to immigration debates, which he saw impact his family directly as his mother worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Bushra echoed similar sentiments, stating: “I learned there’s a lot of ignorance… We need to learn from each other.”
Producer Emma Young acknowledged the controversy stating: “We didn’t want the show to be preachy, but these voices… are shaping our political landscapes. It’s important to engage with people who have differing views and understand their motivations.”