I just tuned in by accident and caught 10 minutes of Amanda Holden’s new gameshow, The Celebrity Inner Circle. But aside from the mild shock of seeing the omnipresent performer command yet another TV vehicle, what really struck was the conceit; lie ‘till through your back teeth until they crumble, and shaft as many people as you can.’

And here’s the worry; once upon a time we were brought up not tell porkies, and if we did, we’d be denied biscuits, or even face the Bad Fire. But now, popular culture is insistent lying is a worthwhile skill and ergo, a positive character trait. And it’s not just Holden who’s flogging fibs. It’s the very essence of Traitors, and a strong feature of Hunted.

Yes, politics has long taught us our lives are often controlled by the deceitful and mendacious and we’re led to accept it’s part of the process; think back to Nixon’s absolute "I am not a crook," declaration in reference to the Watergate scandal, or was Bill Clinton’s “I never had sexual relations with that woman,” playing fast and loose with his recollections of time spent with Monica Lewinsky.

But isn’t the storytelling, the embellishment, the denial coming harder and faster than ever before?........

© Herald Scotland