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On the face of it, this could be a pertinent way to wind down (please God) Channel 4’s gypsy franchise. How does the traveller community earn the money to pay for the weddings TV finds so irresistable? This film, though, reveals pitifully little.
Where once this strand was thought exploitative, now it’s just really, really boring. There’s some buying and selling, some clothing design, a little manual work – and that’s it. Really, why should anyone expect anything more in the way of revelation? As long as the work is legal and correctly taxed, who cares? Given that traveller culture is notoriously secretive, is anyone really going to reveal anything to the contrary on camera?
So where does that leave this documentary? With another massive, lavish wedding, that’s where. Teeth whitening, tearful fathers, painful dresses, big cakes and all the familiar trimmings. We give up, although those warming to the theme may enjoy Paul O’Grady’s profile of burlesque pioneer Gypsy Rose Lee on ITV at 10pm. But no more please, C4.