GLAMMED-up and gossipy 'scripted reality' shows like Towie and Made In Chelsea have earned legions of fans over the years to become a staple of guilty pleasure TV.
And now the popular genre where viewers can happily leave their brain at the door is getting a culchie remix – with a new series set in rural Co Tyrone.
There's No Place Like Tyrone follows the lives of a colourful cast of people living and working in the mid-Ulster countryside.
Billed as BBC Northern Ireland's first ever constructed reality series, real-life characters are brought together in plots devised purely for entertainment value.
Among the cast is Lynda Hamilton (48), a full-time farmer from Omagh, and her partner of around two years Bobby Patterson (47), a part-time farmer who hails from Raphoe in Co Donegal.
With a voice-over from BBC radio presenter Hugo Duncan, the first episode in the three-part series sees Mr Patterson plan a surprise party for Ms Hamilton's birthday – despite her dislike for surprises.
Meanwhile, another cast member Ruth splits her time between the family farm and her business as a beauty therapist, before taking time out with her girlfriends for some clay-pigeon shooting.
Ms Hamilton told how most of the cast did not know each other before filming and "met for the first time when we were put together".
"We weren't told what to say. We were allowed to say what we wanted but they had to create a situation sometimes to bring us all together," she said.
The mother-of-two said she hoped the series would showcase a "light-hearted side of farming".
"It's not a show that wants to make a political statement or anything. It's just a light-hearted look at our lifestyles," she said.
Locations in the programme include Watts Bar in Plumbridge, Todds Leap near Ballygawley, and the Lingerie Room at Linen Green, Moygashel – where in the first episode, Mr Patterson goes lingerie shopping for his partner's birthday.
Later in the series, business owner and entrepreneur Shirley plans an opening shindig to launch her latest business in Fivemiletown, and a black tie event at the Mart lets everyone get dolled up for a special evening.
From the makers of BBCNI's reality dating show Beauty Queen And Single, casting and filming of the new show took place last year.
Ms Hamilton said she became involved after attending a casting event, and show bosses later took a shine to her partner.
"I just went along to the casting in a local hotel and it went on from there. When they came to do some filming with me, Bobby happened to be there and he was such good craic they thought they would include him as well," she said.
Ms Hamilton said the Tyrone cast are "not putting on any airs and graces", and she doesn't watch scripted reality shows like ITV's Towie (The Only Way Is Essex).
"We don't look like celebrities. We all look like normal people, fat and thin, tall and short, whereas I suppose the guys in Towie look more like celebrities," she added.
:: There's No Place Like Tyrone airs on BBC One Northern Ireland on Monday at 10.35pm.
