‘Go Back to Where You Came From’: A flawed reality show that shines a light on racism and immigration

Is it worth watching a racist and ignorant person cry his eyes out when he sees the children of Raqqa, the Syrian city devastated by civil war, rummaging through the rubble? This is the same man who, in the opening scenes of Channel 4’s new reality show, Go Back To Where You Came From, poses on the cliffs of Dover, facing the sea, and offers his particular solution to illegal immigration: “I’d have the Royal Navy lay mines 50 meters from here, so that every boat that came to our wonderful coast would end up fucking blown up,” he says. “They’re like rats. If you leave them food, they come back,” he concludes his profound reflection, now back in his lounge.

The danger of the most important debate of the 21st century, immigration, is that it can be perfect material to be put through the entertainment shredder. Six characters who are walking clichés travel to Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Kenya… and experience the misery and terror of war and the drama of the refugee camps.

Dave Marshall, he of the Royal Navy mines, is a cook from Eastwood, Nottinghamshire ― in the series he is presented as a “chef and influencer” — single, with a daughter, whose knowledge of the world, until now, was limited to vacations in the Spanish resort town of Torremolinos.

Nathan Rimmington, 33, is a haulier and owner of an HGV driving school in Barnsley. Huge, tattooed, always sweating and always pining for a pint, he is portrayed in the series as an incorrigible joker: “If the government don’t crack down on immigration, my kids will have to go to school on fucking camels.”

Chloe Dobbs, 24, a regular commentator on the British populist right-wing news channel GB News (on which Nigel Farage has his own show), boasts of her Oxford degree in philosophy and politics, which equips her, she says, to have a solid opinion on immigration. As she watches one of the children from Raqqa climb into a fly-infested garbage bin in search of plastic to sell for around 20 cents a kilo, Chloe displays her analytical skills: “You can see how much fun they’re having, because they’re learning to be entrepreneurs.” That was an off-the-cuff comment. Sitting in front of the camera, she elaborates further: “My vision is pure common sense. In 10 years, the U.K. will be full of people in burqas and Islam will dominate everything.”

Mathilda Mallinson defines herself as a journalist, social activist, podcaster and immigration specialist. Her four-year love story with an immigrant shaped her view of this harsh reality, she explains. She believes that “people are allowing themselves to be manipulated by the media and far-right politicians.” Her partner, Nathan, defines her as a “champagne woke socialist” (champagne socialist is the derogatory term that has always been used in the U.K. to refer to a certain well-off left). Mathilda believes she can change her colleagues' minds by having them share in the hardships and suffering of the refugees.

One caveat: the entire group is protected 24 hours a day; they will not go hungry, and they know that this instructive adventure will eventually end and they will return home. The threat of Islamist terrorism from Al-Shabab in Mogadishu only provokes stage fright among the participants of the reality show.

Jess, 33, is from Llanelli, a town in Wales of about 45,000 inhabitants. She describes herself as the “only gay person in town,” and recalls with horror the sexual abuse she suffered at the age of 16. She took part in the riots in 2023, when many locals opposed the housing of 200 asylum seekers in a small hotel. “I don’t want a nest of rapists and pedophiles on the doorstep of where I live,” she says.

During her visit to a refugee camp, Jess will cry with sorrow and show her affection for the plight of women and children, but the harsh reality of female genital mutilation, explained to her by a social worker, and the high rates of rape and abuse occurring in the camp will only serve to reinforce her prejudices and fears. “Our government is allowing these criminals to come, and it puts us all at risk,” she says.

And finally there is Bushra Shaikh, a small-scale businesswoman from Surrey, a Muslim daughter of immigrants, who has caused Channel 4 trouble after her antisemitic tweets in recent months came to light: “The Palestinians have done more in five minutes than [Ukrainian president] Zelenskiy with £75bn. Humiliation is an understatement,” she wrote after the Hamas attacks on Israeli territory that killed 1,200 people in October 2023.

Bushra’s opinions of her fellow cast members, and of the U.K., leave no room for nuance: “A large proportion of Brits are as obtuse and ignorant as fuck,” she observes.

Good television

Go Back to Where You Came From is based on an Australian series that generated the same controversy and backlash, as well as the same praise and positive reviews. As a television product, it has an unquestionable allure. A master of the business once said that good television is that which makes the viewer, sitting in their lounge, start talking or shouting at the set. And this series provokes indignation in abundance.

The racist and obscene comments of several of the protagonists, as well as their fears and concerns, are what we hear around us every day. The condescending or haughty tone of those who supposedly defend immigrants is irritating and unhelpful.

A risk-free, all-expenses-paid round trip to human misery does not seem the best way to approach such a complex debate. And yes, even the most idiotic person is moved by a mother struggling day after day to feed her children among the ruins of what was once their home. But empathy is short-lived, as Dave the cook concludes in an infamous refugee camp: “Let them wait here, and do everything possible to travel [to the United Kingdom] legally. If they do, they can even come to my house for dinner. But if they come illegally, unfortunately, they’ll have to go back.”

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