Katie Price is described as a "21st century icon" at the start of her latest reality romp, Katie Price's Mucky Mansion (Channel 4, Wednesday). She is, we are told, a model, businesswoman and campaigner for privacy rights. But clearly these accolades are not sufficient for the influencer formerly known as Jordan, who, with this mud-caked Channel 4 vehicle, embarks on a new career as home makeover guru.
Price is the ultimate marmite celebrity. To some, her ability to parlay the c-lister infamy acquired as Jordan into an ongoing career is deeply fascinating. She is proof that, even in an era as full of distractions as ours, you really still can be famous for being famous. Others would happily never see her on television again.
Neither perspective is likely to be changed by Mucky Mansion. Price is plotting an ambitious upgrading of her 8,000 square foot property in Sussex. Previously the residence of Lord Maude of Horsham, the estate has been plundered by local ne'er-do-wells and stands in a state of advanced disrepair. However, the physical damage pales against the emotional traumas Price has suffered through her time in the house – including the end of her marriage, the death of her horse and multiple kidnap threats. "It all accumulates in your brain," she says.
Price in general appears more interested in modelling her pink hard hat than poring over architectural plans
The overhaul she has in mind is radical. Rooms will be gutted, gardens remoulded. And she plans to decorate one of her kids bedrooms in a "Jurassic Park" style, complete with teddy bears cut down the middle and glued to the wall (you'll have fond memories of the scene in Jurassic Park in which sawn-in-half teddy bears emerge from the wainscoting).
Home-makeover telly would be dreary beyond comprehension if everything went to plan. Who wants to see wealthy, contented people cheerfully assemble their dream residences? And so, as per the unspoken pact with the audience, Price’s Mucky Mansion is soon swamped with setbacks. Price damages her new chimney, to the resigned horror of builder Steve. And she in general appears more interested in modelling her pink hard hat than poring over architectural plans.
Mucky Mansion nearly came unstuck the week before broadcast when Price was arrested for allegedly breaching a restraining order taken out by her ex-husband’s new fiancée. This was on the heels of a court appearance last year after she crashed her car while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
None of these dramas reach the screen (Price does refer in passing to a recent stint of rehab at the Priory). But the show's reluctance to grapple with the messy reality of Price's life doesn't make Mucky Mansion unwatchable and by the end of the first episode the star has added another tick to her long list of accomplishments. She's morphed into Dermot Bannon with hair extensions and a barbie girl tracksuit.
