TOWIE stars face sack over pay demands?

TOWIE stars face sack over pay demands?
TOWIE stars face sack over pay demands? (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Stars of The Only Way Is Essex apparently face the sack over their pay row. It was reported that some of the cast of the ITV2 reality show - said to include Gemma Collins, Lucy Mecklenburgh, her fiance Mario Falcone, and Billi Mucklow - had complained about being paid just 80 pounds a day with some filming sessions lasting 13 hours, and threatened to walk out. But according to the Sun, TOWIE bosses have sent the stars a warning letter telling them to stop complaining or face the sack. While the stars of the structured reality series receive a modest fee for filming, they can earn thousands of pounds from personal appearances and advertising deals thanks to the fame they gain from being in TOWIE. Stars have apparently also been warned to make sure they arrive on time for shooting, and treat the production staff with respect. Meanwhile, some cast members are said to be fuming after Billi was given a week off to go to the south of France for her father's birthday, while others have been told they can't take time off during filming. A seemingly oblivious Billi tweeted: "Tanning Time! It's so hot today! #cannes"

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.