Lifestyle television programmes and the construction of the expert host

Abstract

This article will seek to explore the role of the host presenter in television lifestyle programmes. In the general context of consumer culture, the apparently mundane interactions between the host of lifestyle programmes and the members of the public serve to circulate discourses about preferred lifestyles, aesthetic tastes and cultural activity. The most common format of many of the lifestyle programmes features a host who is constructed as ‘expert’ in their field, offering guidance to members of the public. A case study of the British television programme Property Ladder, where the host offers advice and guidance to amateur property developers, will draw on the work of Davies to develop an analytical structure that explores the frames of friendship and credibility informed by theories of politeness. These frames will be explored in relation to double audience structure.