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 in purpose and style. In 1974 a counterpart program, "The Family", was made in the UK, following the working class Wilkins family of Reading. Other forerunners of modern reality television were the 1970s productions of Chuck Barris: "The Dating Game", "The Newlywed Game", and "The Gong Show", all of which featured participants who were eager to sacrifice some of their privacy and dignity in a televised competition. The 1976-1980 BBC series "The Big Time" showed, in each of its 15 episodes, a different amateur in some field (cooking, comedy, football, etc.) trying to succeed professionally in that field, with help