Blag The Asbo Show

Set in a typically bleak south London, Blag is a story of immigration and illegal manoeuvring that would confirm any Daily Mail reader’s (and Jade Goody’s) prejudices about certain aspects of modern British society.

Central to the plot are two main characters; Sean Carlyle – a messed up immigration officer who’s main job is to stop immigrant workers in the capital, and Harry Verma – a hard gambling immigration lawyer preying on immigrants attempting to stay in Britain.

However, among other problems, Sean Carlyle is harbouring an illegal immigrant, and with his gambling spiralling out of control Harry Verma finds himself in debt to an Indian Gangster who sends him on a mission to recover a lost girl – the very girl hiding out in Sean Carlyle’s flat.

Slowly the plot begins to unfold, with Sean and Harry uniting to hatch a plan to defeat the Indian Gangster and his cronies. On the whole Blag offers a satirical insight into the underworld of illegal immigration in Britain and is well worth a quick flick – if only to be entertained by the squalor of sbouth London.

The Asbo Show is another satirical look at modern day Britain by Tony Saint. The story is based on the visit of a bored social worker to a notorious council estate where he witnesses a scene not dissimilar to Rubber Duck on a Wednesday night; fighting, excessive drinking, mindless vandalism and more fighting.

Obsessed and completely re-energised by his experience, a cash-strapped colleague of the social worker decides to turn the situation on the council estate into a money spinner by selling tickets to watch deprived children smash things up (just £3.50 a pop with a valid NUS).

Problem is that whilst Saint attempts to satirise our obsession with voyeurism in The Asbo Show, the book just seems to be an extension of this voyeuristic compulsion and doesn’t attack shows like Big Brother which, rightly or wrongly, Saint is really trying to do. 7/10

Sophia Littledale