''Snog Marry Avoid?'' is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

show broadcast on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

, produced by

Remarkable Television Banijay UK Productions (branded as Banijay UK and formerly Endemol Shine UK Ltd) is a British production company. Since 2020, the company has been a subsidiary of Banijay. Banijay UK incorporates a number of production brands, including Artis ...

. The first four series were presented by

Atomic Kitten Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart K ...

member

Jenny Frost Jennifer Frost (born 22 February 1978) is an English singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of girl group Precious before replacing Kerry Katona in the group Atomic Kitten from 2001 until they disbanded in April 2004. Frost ...

, with

Ellie Taylor Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing on ''Show Me the Funny'' in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (2011–2017), '' Fake Re ...

presenting from the fifth series onwards. The show focused mainly on transforming 'fakery obsessed' or 'slap addicts' in Britain into 'natural beauties' by stripping them of their "skimpy" clothes and layers of make-up and giving them a 'makeunder' instead of a makeover with the help of POD – the Personal Overhaul Device. The POD's commentary is created by comedian Doug Faulkner and is voiced by the series 1–3 producer. The show ended after its sixth series, which was broadcast in 2013.

Overview

''Snog Marry Avoid?'' has given '

makeunder A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in human physical appearance, it may imply a change in clothing, haircut, or cosmetics. A personal makeover might also include weight loss, plastic surgery ...

s' to a range of people in Britain, including

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

. Within the world of the programme, POD is a

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...

that "only understands natural beauty". It conducts a public analysis to ask the public whether they would snog, marry, or avoid the participant, as well as another random question, which offers those questioned another chance to praise or criticise. After the questions, it allows the person to choose their style based on a

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

, and to dress them accordingly. It sometimes orders the person to do a 'deep cleanse', where they have to take off all of their make-up. After the transformation, POD will ask the public what they think of the person. The person is then re-introduced to their partner or relative outside the TV studio and their reaction is recorded, generally a positive one towards the more natural look. Later on in the show, the presenter (Jenny Frost in series 1–4) meets with the person to see if they have kept their look and discusses the transformation. In series 5, with new host Ellie Taylor, the show visits towns and cities nationwide on the first ever ''Snog Marry Avoid?'' roadshow (e.g.

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

). Also changed in this series, the person's new style is no longer based on a celebrity – it is now solely POD's creation. In series 6, a catwalk was also introduced, whereby the person shows off their look to their friends, family and other locals. As with many BBC programmes, previews are uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

before the programme is screened on TV. One of the most viewed ''Snog Marry Avoid?'' videos on YouTube is ''Scotland's No1 Male Barbie'', which got interest around the world due to celebrity blogger

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

featuring it on his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

page. The most viewed video is the makeunder of Chloe Victoria Mafia, who is also known for

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

ing for the seventh series of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

''.

Episodes

Series 1

*Episode 1 – Fake-tan obsessed Levi from Kent and glamour model wannabe Tamsin undergo a change. First broadcast: 23 June 2008 *Episode 2 – Features a

Jodie Marsh Jodie Louise Marsh is an English media personality, model and bodybuilder. She has appeared on numerous reality television shows, such as ''Essex Wives'' (2002), ''Back to Reality'' (2004), '' Love on a Saturday Night'' (2004), ''Celebrity Big ...

wannabe and a married couple addicted to piercings. First broadcast: 30 June 2008 *Episode 3 – With corset lover Dominique, pole dance instructor Jules and boyband Girls That Scream. First broadcast: 7 July 2008 *Episode 4 – Features hair ruined by extensions, a blonde corset lover and a fake-tan addict. First broadcast: 14 July 2008 *Episode 5 – Features a glitter-lover, a girl who hairsprays her make-up in place and a punk. First broadcast: 21 July 2008 *Episode 6 – Features busty Chelsea and 17-year-old Josh, who wears bean cans instead of jewellery. First broadcast: 28 July 2008

Series 2

*Episode 1 – Flesh-flashing Londoner Mykela, metal-mad Mark and

Chantelle Houghton Chantelle Vivien Houghton (born 21 August 1983) is an English television personality, glamour model, and columnist. In 2006, she competed in the fourth series of the Channel 4 reality series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. Houghton was sent in as ...

face POD. First broadcast: 16 February 2009 *Episode 2 – Featuring high-maintenance Hannah and Jodie Marsh obsessive Heather from Series 1. First broadcast: 23 February 2009 *Episode 3 – With Italian make-up addict Martha,

Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace (}; born 28 December 1978) is an English television personality, model, actress and columnist who emerged into the public eye in 2006 when she appeared as a contestant in the seventh series of reality television show ' ...

, burlesque babes Lou La La and Miss Loula Cherry. First broadcast: 2 March 2009 *Episode 4 – Blonde Danielle, gothic geisha Azelie and outrageous mother Jay face the wrath of POD. First broadcast: 9 March 2009 *Episode 5 – POD and Jenny get to grips with

the Cheeky Girls The Cheeky Girls are a Romanian singing duo consisting of identical twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia (both born 31 October 1982). After appearing as auditionees on '' Popstars: The Rivals'', they achieved success in the UK charts with fou ...

and wannabe actresses the Howe twins. First broadcast: 16 March 2009 *Episode 6 – POD and Jenny Frost transform a Playboy Bunny wannabe and a Capt Jack Sparrow look-alike. First broadcast: 23 March 2009 *Episode 7 – POD and Jenny Frost transform disco dancing Paige and mosh-pit Barbie Lara. First broadcast: 30 March 2009 *Episode 8 – POD and Jenny meet cosmetics-crazy Nikki from Leeds, and pink-obsessed Louise. First broadcast: 6 April 2009 *Episode 9 – POD strips Vicky of her precious false eyelashes and meets military cyber-goth Ebony. First broadcast: 20 April 2009 *Episode 10 – POD and Jenny meet party girl Kelsey, buxom blonde model Dani T and Collagen Girl. First broadcast: 27 April 2009 *Episode 11 – POD and Jenny meet model Emma B, ultraviolet raver Keiran and a group of dancehall divas. First broadcast: 4 May 2009 *Episode 12 – POD and Jenny meet glam Nikki from Liverpool and a pouting princess called Lady Desalina. First broadcast: 11 May 2009

Series 3

To promote the third series, BBC Three aired a one-off special called ''Snog, Marry, Avoid – Top 10 Shockers'', a count down of the most memorable make-unders on 15 December 2009. Series 3 kicked off on 4 February 2010, with a 12-episode series. *Episode 1 – Chloe and Kate *Episode 2 – Jess and Petagay *Episode 3 – Alannah and Clinton *Episode 4 – Bianca Gascoigne and Andre J. *Episode 5 – Carolyn and Sherika;

Goldie Lookin Chain Goldie Lookin Chain are a Welsh comedy hip hop group from Newport, south-east Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the "chav" culture and life in Newpo ...

*Episode 6 – Princess Lolly enters POD *Episode 7 – Harriet, Bonnie and Lhouraii *Episode 8 – Leigh-Ann and Hollie *Episode 9 – '' Big Brother 10'' winner

Sophie Reade ''Big Brother 2009'', also known as ''Big Brother 10'', was the tenth series of the British reality television series '' Big Brother''. The show followed a total of twenty-two contestants, who were isolated from the outside world for an extended ...

, Siobhan/Biohazard, and ''

'' contestants

Kandy Rain ''The X Factor'' is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The sixth series started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second co ...

*Episode 10 – '' Big Brother 9'' contestants Lisa and Mario, Villa Kula and Poppy Moon. *Episode 11 – Lucy Rox, Tommy and

Charlie Doherty Charlie Doherty (23 January 1876 – 5 March 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia servin ...

. *Episode 12 – Rebecca, Angel-Rose and Lucy

Series 4

Series 4 began on 11 January 2011 at 8pm. There were 12 episodes and it ended on 15 March 2011. *Episode 1 – The Royal Special –

Lady Victoria Hervey Lady Victoria Frederica Isabella Hervey (; born 6 October 1976) is an English model, socialite, aristocrat, and former "It girl". She is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, half-sister of the 7th Marquess, and sister of the 8th Mar ...

*Episode 2 – The Twins and Emily Kerr *Episode 3 –

Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. ...

and Chantelle Louise *Episode 4 – Sarah Jane Pickles and Hollie Wilkinson *Episode 5 – Lissy Summers and Abbie Goodwin *Episode 6 – Family Special – Rooneys and Wanda & Trisha *Episode 7 – Allyson and Verena *Episode 8 – POD tries to get the boys from Dirty Sanchez to clean up their act. *Episode 9 – POD meets a drag artist who wants to be Coco Chanel, but is more like Coco the Clown. *Episode 10 – POD meets a six-foot glamazon with outsized assets, a geisha with a guitar and a DJ with a penchant for mushrooms. *Episode 11 – Look-alikes Special – Lady Gaga lookalike Cat Winter becomes less Gaga. *Episode 12 – Lynne C & Emma C

Series 5

With new host Ellie Taylor, series 5 commenced on 14 May 2012, at 10.30pm on BBC Three. There were 10 episodes and it ended on 16 July 2012. *Episode 1 – Kelly & Bam Bo Tang *Episode 2 – Olivia and Kate *Episode 3 – Adrienne and Lottie Lou *Episode 4 – Karina and Dan *Episode 5 – Lacy Cakes and Charlene *Episode 6 – Kiya and Adele *Episode 7 – Shelly and Olivia Dean *Episode 8 – Hannah and Tomasz (Tomasz is also the winner of an episode of ''

Total Wipeout ''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challen ...

'') *Episode 9 – Tessa, Nina and Ryan *Episode 10 – Rachel and Holly

Series 6

Series 6 began on 18 March 2013, airing every Monday at 10:00pm. There were 12 episodes. *Episode 1 – POD and Ellie meet

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

-obsessed Ellie, and Vicky is sure there is no natural beauty under her fake tan. And Ellie gets all dolled up as she goes around

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. First broadcast: 18 March 2013. *Episode 2 – POD and Ellie meet OTT Jazmine, and Cybergoth Cara who calls herself 'a multi-coloured mental monster'. And Ellie runs around

after transforming herself into an

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

. First broadcast: 25 March 2013. *Episode 3 – POD and Ellie meet Jasmine who loves her huge eyebrows, and Vicky whose plight for plastic fantastic perfection is driving her father up the wall. And Ellie gets into a disco style as she tries to understand the fashion love behind disco pants whilst she goes around

. First broadcast: 1 April 2013. *Episode 4 – POD and Ellie meet punk Mel, who scares people away with her tattoos, piercings and mohawk, and ghetto-fabulous Luke, whose bling is so minging that POD's sensors go into overdrive. Also, Ellie goes round

in the latest fashion – a onesie. First broadcast: 8 April 2013. *Episode 5 – POD and Ellie meet Jo who has always known she is a girl trapped inside a boy's body and Kristie who is obsessed with looking 'Dead'. Meanwhile, in

Ellie man ups in order to get to the bottom of why men walk around with their trousers halfway down their backsides. First broadcast: 15 April 2013. *Episode 6 – POD and Ellie meet Liberty, who loves to be judged by others, and glamour girl Sophie who dresses like a doll. And Ellie becomes an

girl and goes out to meet the public. First broadcast: 22 April 2013. *Episode 7 – POD and Ellie meet Sophie, who is obsessed with hair extensions, and Danny GoGo, who has bright pink hair and skin so orange that he looks like a troll, and can't understand why he can't get a boyfriend. Also, Ellie goes around

learning about the "Brum Bum". First broadcast: 29 April 2013. *Episode 8 – POD and Ellie meet Jessica, who is making a right exhibition of herself with her Gyaru style 'I'm a piece of art – but abstract', and Meleisha, who goes clubbing in her underwear and whose hair is so bright it stops traffic. First broadcast: 6 May 2013. *Episode 9 – POD and Ellie meet Laura, who loves everything pink and Natasha who is obsessed with the pinup look. Meanwhile, Ellie tries the Vintage look. Ellie explains her disappointment that Laura hated her makeunder and said it was the biggest failure ''Snog Marry Avoid'' ever had. First broadcast: 13 May 2013. *Episode 10 – POD and Ellie meet Joanna and Claire. First broadcast: 20 May 2013. *Episode 11 – POD and Ellie meet fake-tan enthusiast Jake and make-up addict Whitney. First broadcast: 27 May 2013. *Episode 12 – POD and Ellie meet Jason Kempson who is as brown as a Christmas pudding, but insists that 'any attention is good attention' and Verity, whose outfits are always incredibly short and leave nothing to imagination as she explains "Everyone gets their baubles out at Christmas". Meanwhile, Ellie puckers up with festive bejewelled lips and wanders around

trying to get a smooch under the mistletoe.

Ratings

''Snog Marry Avoid?'' has received positive reviews, complimenting its useful beauty tips and 'cliche' gimmick. BBC Three's boss has declared it a "roaring success". Australian rapper

Iggy Azalea Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea (), is an Australian rapper. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognitio ...

has said that she is a fan of the show, admitting "It's very interesting TV". Viewership had climbed throughout the first two series, on average over 750,000 people tuning into each of the second series' episodes. Repeats also gained good ratings, becoming one of BBC Three's top shows.

Repeats

London Live repeatedly aired all 6 series of the programme from the

and

eras and was previously shown on

. Reruns of the show are currently shown on VH1.

Transmissions

International format

A German version started airing in November 2008 on the commercial channel

ProSieben ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media. It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...

. "''Love Date or Hate –die ehrlichste Starstyle-Rubrik der Welt''" (''Love Date or Hate – the most honest starstyle-column in the world'') was a part of the weekly showbiz-oriented television programme "''red! – Stars, Lifestyle & More''", but due to harsh criticism the column was taken off the show after a few months. POD was called ''Stylomat'' in this

TV format A TV format is the overall concept and branding of a copyrighted television show. The most common type of formats are those in the television genres of game shows and reality shows, many of which are remade in multiple markets with local contestants ...

(

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsosmeticheskiĭ remont' (Redecorating) has aired since 23 May 2011 on musical and entertainment channel

Muz-TV Muz-TV (russian: Муз-ТВ, from Музыкальное телевидение - Music Television) is a Russian music TV channel, broadcasting since 1996. It is largely modelled after western MTV and predates launching of MTV Russia in 1998. Mu ...

. It is presented by the Russian theatre and television actress, Aleksandra Rebenok. In Italy, the original British version is aired ( dubbed in Italian language) on Real Time with the title ''Dire, Fare, Baciare'' from April 2013. The Italian version ''Dire, Fare, Baciare Italia'' started airing in February 2014 presented by Carla Gozzi. A similar American version on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, presented by Stacy London, is called ''

Love, Lust or Run ''Love, Lust or Run'' is an American reality television series which premiered on the TLC cable network, on January 30, 2014, starring fashion consultant Stacy London. During every episode of the series, Stacy London meets a different woman and ...

''. A Dutch version on

RTL5 RTL 5 is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel that was launched on 2 October 1993. It mainly broadcasts American films and hit series but also reality shows, comedy, travel, international shows and local productions including '' Expeditie Rob ...

is called ''Lust, Liefde of Laten Lopen''.

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, id=1270230, title=Snog Marry Avoid? 2008 British television series debuts 2013 British television series endings BBC high definition shows BBC reality television shows English-language television shows Fashion-themed reality television series Makeover reality television series Television series by Endemol