The Only Way Is Essex (series 8) show he briefly dated Chloe Sims but previously dated Lauren Pope off screen. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> The Only Way Is Essex (series 8) The eighth series of "The Only Way Is Essex", a British semi-reality television programme, began airing on 24 February 2013 on ITV2. The series consisted of 12 episodes. Series 8 marked the first series not to feature Lydia Bright, after her departure from the series in December 2012. The series also saw the departure of numerous supporting cast members and introduced new supporting cast members. On 7 March 2013, Mecklenburgh confirmed via her Twitter account that Amy and Sally
Reality television Men". Such shows have some antecedent in the British series "Antiques Roadshow", which began airing in 1979 and has since spawned numerous international versions, although that show includes only appraisals and does not include bargaining or other dramatic elements. While for "documentary-style" shows it is implied that the events shown would still be taking place even if the cameras were not there, in other shows the events taking place are done overtly for the sake of the show. These shows differ from "reality competition" shows or "reality game shows" (see below) in that participants do not compete against one another.