Snap, Crackle, Popera!

After a particularly stressful week zero I decided to pop home for a bit of Trash TV and Sympathy this weekend. It was not a wasted trip.

I have had a reality TV shaped void in my life for some time now. Strictly and X-factor were both rubbish this year and I can't help but find So You Think You Can Dance a bit boring. I have never watched I'm a Celebrity or Dancing on Ice and the decision was made even easier when I found out Jordan and Heather Mills were involved. Awful.

So what could possibly fill this deficit I hear you cry? Well you probably know already because I mentioned it in the headline but let's pretend I didn't (cue crippling moment of suspense) POPSTAR TO OPERASTAR.

This programme does exactly what it is says on the tin. Popstars are made to sing opera. Excellent. Although my knowledge of opera is limited to "I recognise that song. Wasn't it in an advert selling dishwasher tablets" etc I can tell I am going to get addicted. In fact I think I already am. It has more potential to produce car-crash television than Dancing on Thin Ice, The Unprotected Sex-Factor and Strictly Come Base-Jumping.

So eight popstars have been roped into this programme. One can only assume that ITV has rude pictures of all of them because singing opera live when you're no Leona must be bloody terrifying.

Alan Titchmarsh and Myleene Klass present the programme and the celebrity contests are even more random but with Danny from Mcfly and Darius from Pop Idol involved one just can't complain.

The show's mentors are Katherine Jenkins (who has gone up in estimation since "that" scandal) and the suitably dotty opera singer Rolando Villazon. This duo also double up as judges along with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen (random I know but apparently he has a radio show on Classic FM) and Meatloaf. And so we reach the reason why I can tell this is going to be really excellent viewing. Meatloaf is as mad as a march hare and my official new favourite person (I'm sure Beyonce will get over her demotion in time).

So if you want to indulge in some Reality TV that you can pretend is cultural and cerebral then this is the show for you. I say pretend because the real reason to watch is to make yourself feel better by watching others fail. Schadenfreude lives on.