Channel 4’s new series Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing, hosted by Jonathan Ross, pairs strangers from different backgrounds and handcuffs them together for 24 hours a day in a bid to win £100,000. The show, described as a social experiment, aims to explore whether a divided Britain can settle its differences. However, the result is a crass and manipulative spectacle that feels like a throwback to Wife Swap or The Jeremy Kyle Show.
Each pair is chosen for maximum discomfort. Jo, a plus-size fashion brand owner, is paired with Reuben, who believes fat people are lazy. Tilly, who helps homeless people, is cuffed to millionaire Anthony, who thinks his camping experience makes him an expert. Former prison officer George is matched with aristocrat Sir Ben, who owns a painting by Adolf Hitler and has dogs named after Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Kwasi Kwarteng.
Ross appears only as a disembodied voice, introducing participants with reductive labels. The programme manufactures drama, such as when George is shown Sir Ben’s Hitler painting and statues that appear to depict enslaved African people. Sir Ben, a tabloid fixture who previously issued a controversial casting call for a wife, seems chosen for his intolerance rather than any genuine attempt at reconciliation.
There are fleeting moments where participants appear to listen to each other, but the overall tone is nasty and exploitative. The show platforms racism and classism without offering meaningful insight, leaving viewers to wonder if Channel 4’s edgy remit is sufficient justification for such content.
