LAURA CARTLEDGE: Trying to find the '˜real' in reality TV makes me glad of the off switch

Mostly because the word ‘reality’ has been stretched far beyond the comfort of its dictionary definition.

Bear with me on this.

Take The Apprentice, for instance.

With a wag of the finger and blink of an incredibly blue eye, it is back on our screens.

And so the education begins.

While it used to boast ‘the best business brains’ we are now faced with ‘ambitious entrepreneurs’ – something I can’t help but think is down to advertising standards.

Just like the small print which tells you eyelashes were extended by a man with a computer, and not the latest mascara.

The reality, in truth, is not so pretty.

However, if the bickering and back-stabbing makes you mourn for the days of steely Margaret, and you are sad that the only business the candidates seem to be seeking is that known as ‘show’, then look at it this way...

We should be relieved.

Not just because there is an off button – and after wasting an hour watching them fail to organise, well, anything in a brewery, I highly recommend it.

But also think of it another way – how terrifying would it be if they were actually the future of our country?

If that was the case it might be time to head abroad.

Speaking of which, if you think our shows are over the top, grab the remote a take a trip overseas.

Okay, so Lizard Lick Towing was never going to be of the highest calibre.

But it is the perfect example of what I am talking about.

The idea is simple – cameras follow Ron, Amy, Bobby and the adventures of their towing company.

However labelled not as ‘reality’ but ‘actuality’, it seems it is not all it says on the tin.

And a classic case of don’t believe everything you see.