Posh people do well on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! because they survived boarding school: Sophia Money-Coutt's snob's guide to reality television

One of my least favourite forms of snobbery is television snobbery. ‘I don’t own a TV,’ boasted a man I once went on a date with, as if he should win a prize for such a thing. ‘Look, you berk, even the late Queen watched Coronation Street,’ I wanted to reply, but didn’t.

Television is excellent, these days. Obviously, a lot of it is also rubbish. But among the rubbish are rubies, shows which uplift and distract, even if others may curl their lip at the idea of watching them.

Reality shows cop more flak than many, are sneered at for being low-brow and derivative, and in some cases, fair enough. I’m not sure seeing couples fumble underneath a duvet in Love Island could ever be deemed a cultural highpoint, and yet other reality shows are gripping, and offer meaningful insights about the human condition.

Alright, alright, maybe that’s over-egging it a tad, but some are certainly more socially-acceptable than others. Here are some of my (acceptable) favourites:

1. The Traitors Set in a castle, with plenty of larking about outside in the fresh air, so even if the castle looks faintly like it was decorated by dodgy homeware from B&M, this gives it posh points ahead of other shows. Also, its host, Claudia Winkleman, has a Royal sister
2. The Great British Bake Off The most recent series was filmed in the grounds of Welford Park, an estate near Newbury, and it features lovely, pastel-coloured kitchen equipment which wouldn’t look out of place in a Cotswolds cottage. Special mention to Junior Bake Off for being particularly charming, and for host Harry Hill’s top jokes
3.  Anything fronted by Bear Grylls Name another reality show that’s presented by an Old Etonian?
4. The Great British Sewing Bee As the name implies, a bit like Bake Off, but with contestants competing to sew various items instead of popping them in the oven. My mother’s absolute favourite. Also, Patrick Grant, one of the judges, always looks very dapper
5. Race Across The World The BBC’s hit show, in which pairs of contestants race to get from one part of the globe to another with a fixed budget, and without using planes or mobile phones. Especially enjoyable if you’ve travelled to the same area and can feel smug about it. ‘Oh look, darling, there’s that temple we saw in Cambodia. Do you remember? Sensational!’  
6. I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Chiefly included because, even after 25 series, Ant and Dec remain unbeatable as hosts. But also because the show usually includes a token posh person: Lady Colin Campbell, Georgia Toffolo, Nigel Havers, Lord Brocket and so on, and they tend to manage perfectly well on rations because they went to boarding school. I’m expecting my call-up any day now