MONEY, it is said, cannot buy you happiness. Why then do so many people dream of being rich?

Flash Families on ITV set out to prove that not only is happiness not guaranteed, excessive amounts of cash also appear to destroy your taste buds.

Chav TV is rapidly taking over the airwaves and last night's show was a tribute to the bling' generation.

Every baseball cap wearing, Citroen Saxo driver with an add-on exhaust, tinted windows and pedestrian-deafening stereo must have watched Flash Families with his Chantelle wannabe girlfriend in awe as their ideal lifestyle unfolded on the small screen.

This was the world of excess where status appeared to be measured by the size of your plasma screen, or in the case of the lovely Noelle, the amount of cosmetic surgery you've had.

We had one family who spent a fortune on their pampered pets and another where their children appeared to be given every luxury.

After the intitial few minutes in which your jaw dropped at the crass extravagence on display, I found that I was feeling increasingly sorry for the couples who had invited the cameras into their lives.

The problem with this type of documentary' is that there is a thin line between enlightening the viewer and exploiting the subject.

Just another observation: wasn't it slightly incongruous to show Flash Families immediately before Soccer Aid which is hoping to raise money for charity?