Whilst RDF do about a fifth of their business with ITV and BBC, their main client is the reassuringly silent Channel 4. One of the reality shows RDF produces for them is Property Ladder, and it so happened that friends of ours wangled a slot on it (against my advice).

The programme has an agreeable host, Sarah Beeny, who advises would-be property developers. The idea is simple – create dramatic tension between the expert host and the ingénu developer.

Along the way shopping trips were arranged to look at expensive products to suggest material aspirations that would ‘break’ the budget. The host was embarrassed about the need to stunt up confrontations. The production team was friendly and apologetic.

The programme ended with a reckoning of how costly the project had been. All improvements were costed at list price. But my pals had negotiated price reductions and freebies based on product use in the TV programme (the producers kindly passed on some numbers), so although the programme showed a loss, in actual fact they paid a fraction of the real price.

It didn’t end there. Estate agents were asked to make up valuation figures (against all their professional codes), and were the people who came round real buyers? Still, my friends were happy to phoney up an ending where they admitted losing money, because they hadn’t.

Bought and sold for a fitted kitchen! Yes, Judas your name is hidden appliances. Channel 4 would probably say it’s harmless enough stuff – consenting adults, nobody died. I say, you can wipe clean a granite top, but not the chrome-plated handle of your conscience.

In the end, my friends came away feeling dirty. They had forgotten to throw in a new en suite. Amateurs.