What did we get from Benefits Street debate?

Reporter TIM SPIERS takes a look at the impact the hugely successful Channel 4 show has had.

It's the show that's got just about everyone talking, across the nation and beyond.

Politicians, commentators, the working classes, the social elite, the media, people in work, people out of work – everyone's got an opinion on Benefits Street.

Arguably not since Big Brother – another Channel 4 hit that provoked huge controversy – has a programme touched the country's consciousness in such a way.

Because Benefits Street has taken an issue many were blissfully happy to ignore, or to ridicule, and brought it to the forefront of the national argument.

White Dee, Mark and Becky and Tich lined up on one side – assembled journalists, the programme makers, vocal Big Issue founder John Bird and a sweary self-made millionaire on the other. In the middle, two politicians and Richard Bacon – otherwise known as the ingredients of a farcical debacle. Which is pretty much what we got.

Firstly, though, preceding that was the 'Last Word', presumably named as such for a laugh as seen as the genuine last word would immediately follow it in the debate. In this show we saw Channel 4's cameras return to James Turner Street to discuss with residents how their lives had changed since Channel 4's cameras turned up in the first place.

This was very much 30 minutes of television to placate residents angry at how they'd been portrayed. White Dee etc, who said they'd had journalists from Germany, Australia and Africa knocking on doors after the show, tried to right the wrongs and address accusations levelled at them, mostly in the tabloids.

Mark and Becky defended allegations of benefit fraud, White Dee was loosely challenged over whether she was fit to work, while Fungi – sporting a mop of a haircut and looking like a Beatle with a hangover – told of his problems with getting benefits since the show was aired.

But in a short show none of the issues were delved very deeply into. And it was the same story for the debate.

Subject matters ranged from the reaction to the show, how it was edited, how the welfare bill can be reduced and how people can get back into work. Bacon admirably tried to keep order but he was often shouted down.

Minister Mike Penning – handily working class (funny, that) – took all of two seconds to tell the room he'd once been unemployed and spent the rest of the evening trying to earn favour with the James Turner Street clan.

And Chris Bryant, generally quite likeable on political debates and Twitter, steadfastly refused to answer direct questions, especially on Labour's record on benefits and the benefits bill.

But politicians are politicians, they'll always be that way. And in fact everyone played up to their roles here – journalists waffled on and tried to make too many points in too short a space of time (indeed it was all too much for one, Allison Pearson, who clashed with leftie columnist Owen Jones and wasn't seen again after the first advert break).

As for the James Turner Street residents, and after all that's who this has all been about, they were...well...themselves.

And, most pleasingly of all, White Dee more than held her own in this intimidating arena. Mark and Becky became mute and didn't say a word during the whole hour, while Tich took back a comment he'd made on the show about people breeding for benefits, drawing one of the few laughs of the night.

But Dee – the very public face of Benefits Street – was the one everyone wanted to hear from, and she had plenty to say. She was surprisingly calm – especially in the face of fierce criticism from Pearson who questioned her inability to work due to depression, despite never meeting Dee before – and measured in her responses.

Some of the political chuntering went over her head, of course it did, but she's never been interested in that (and flatly denied her rumoured ambitions to be an MP).

But she had the real last word, calling for pensioners to be left out of cuts to the benefits bill, and simply called on the politicians to sort things out. You can't say fairer than that. So, a satisfactory ending? Not really.

It tried to cram far too much into an hour and didn't really answer any of the questions it's been asking in the past few weeks. But then, if there's one thing that everyone can agree on, it's that this subject is too big to solve in an hour.

Screening means issue is being challenged - our reporter took part in a live debate on the issue after spending a week on Benefits Street

Here is his verdict on the programme that has had everyone talking: "The fact last night's debate on Benefit Street was filmed in a secret location because of the backlash caused by the show speaks volumes about the intense feeling the documentary has caused.

"It is a programme that has sparked fury but the show's regulars have also been celebrated as their lives on benefits was shown to the world.

"When I spent a week working on James Turner Street I never found it as hostile as the show portrayed. People tied into the benefit system have been given many labels, often unfairly, and now those pointing the finger have faces to put to their criticism. Residents have become the poster boys for 'dole dossers'. But it shouldn't be forgotten that there are around a hundred houses on James Turner Street and the programme focused on eight or 10 people's lives. Despite the fall-out from the programme employment versus living on the dole it is an issue that is finally being challenged as a result of its screening."

Listen to the debate here