Barely Legal Grafters, BBC2 - TV review: Various entertaining sorts dodged the system as much as they could
Slim was laughably unapologetic about his devious tactics
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Your support makes all the difference.There were shady characters in store in BBC2's Barely Legal Grafters, a documentary about Britain's black market. The programme followed various entertaining sorts doing their bit for society by dodging the system as much as they can – all for our benefit, of course.
Of all these questionable antiheroes, Philip “Slim” Cooper stole the show. The self-styled diamond geezer proved to be a master of artifice, calling himself Albert to punters in order to appear more elderly and seemingly trustworthy. It works particularly well for boy band concerts, apparently.
Slim was laughably unapologetic about his devious tactics, telling one punter he couldn't answer the phone because he was working as an ambulance driver in Newcastle, while speaking from his flat in Birmingham. But you'll have to ask his accountant (or barrister) if you want to know how much money he makes in a year.
Like many of the people featured in the documentary, beneath Slim's wheeler-dealer persona lay a sad past of bankruptcy and mental breakdown. We may all get a small kick from sticking it to the “Man”, but I had a small grain of admiration for those brave – or mad – enough to make it their livelihood.
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