Is Made in Chelsea scripted? What does ‘structured reality’ mean - stars comments including Spencer Matthews

Made in Chelsea is known for bringing the drama, but speculation has long surrounded the series that it may not be as authentic as fans are led to believe.

The hit reality show from E4 is returning to TV screens for its 25th season this March and it promises to bring us all the gossip of some of Chelsea’s most well-to-do socialites. Most of the show’s storylines follow the cast members’ lives, including friendships, romances and careers.

However, former cast members have revealed the show which is described as “structured reality” is not as real as it lets on, with Hugo Taylor telling Insider in 2016 that the show’s new seasons are “completely fabricated”. So, is Made in Chelsea scripted? Here’s everything you need to know.

Is Made in Chelsea scripted?

Made in Chelsea first aired in 2011 and since then has brought us 24 seasons and spin-offs, with its 25th season due to drop next week. Whilst the series tells us the stories of real people from Chelsea, questions have been raised about whether or not what happens in the show is in fact scripted. The series puts itself forward as a “structured reality”, which means that the cast and their conversations are real, but often the setting or meeting has been arranged by the production crew.

What does structured reality mean?

Structured reality is defined by Macmillan dictionary as: “a type of television series featuring real people who talk naturally but are put in situations which are pre-arranged by the production company”. This means that some of the scenes for Made in Chelsea are pre-arranged by the production team, however the events taking place in the cast members personal lives are real.

What have the Made in Chelsea cast said?

The Made in Chelsea cast have also revealed how they perceive the series. Reported by Grazia, Francesca Cheska Hull revealed just how involved the producers were. Whilst she explained the show was not scripted she said: “You knew the conversations you had to have”. She continued: “The producers spoke to us on the phone for hours every week. They’d come on nights out with us. They put us in situations that created drama.”

Made in Chelsea alum Spencer Matthews explained during an interview with Love Island‘s Dr Alex George that he saw the show more like a business. Reported by OK, Matthews said: “I always saw Made in Chelsea as a business, so it’s like that business trades on drama. It’s commodity is drama. Without the drama, there’s no business. And that’s how we saw it work”. He continued: “It wasn’t kind of like ‘Oh hey, they’re just gonna follow us around our day-to-day lives.’ It was ‘turn up at 8.30, we’re gonna mic you, we’re gonna give you a briefing, and then you’re gonna say this.’” He added: “So it was kind of like it became far less authentic over the years. I loved it initially and then when things felt very written it was less interesting because obviously as much as I would have loved to have been an actor, I wasn’t being paid to act.”

In an interview with Insider in 2016, cast member Hugo Taylor called the show’s new seasons “completely fabricated”. He explained that the first “three or four seasons” of the show were “really real”.

Whilst another former cast member Kimberly Garner revealed they “definitely edit a lot”, reported by OK she said: “They definitely edit a lot – I was shocked when I watched it back.” She added: “They get you to say certain phrases, and suddenly create scenes that happened completely differently to reality. You’d watch it back thinking, ‘That didn’t even happen!’ and the storyline would be completely different. That was one of the reasons why I left.”

When can I watch Made in Chelsea season 25?

The new season of Made in Chelsea will be dropping on E4 on 27 March at 9pm. All previous seasons and spin-offs from the series are available to watch on All4.