The Simpler Life
Channel 4

The eminence grise of The Simpler Life (22 March) is psychologist Barry Schwartz speaking to us on a big screen from America. The author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, Professor Schwartz calls this new series a psychological “experiment”; but to all intents and purposes it looks very like other reality shows of this kind in which a motley group of world-weary modern individuals are de-stressed by privation and hard work. In this case, each has undergone a Schwartz test to evaluate their suitability for community living under the guidance of the Amish.

The setting is a remote farm in Devon where the group will live for six months, off the land, without electricity, sharing money and wearing the simple Amish dress. They will be guided through this by the Miller family from Ohio, “liberal” Amish (presumably it means they are relaxed about gay married couples like Gary and Andrew). Episode one (of six) demonstrated how necessary it was for the Millers to explain that chickens need feeding and how to plant a seed. The Miller children sing a cappella together so beautifully that the group was silenced.