Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers

A culture clash whereby five Amish teenagers travel to South London in the name of docu-reality, Amish: World's Squarest Teenagers is a diverting watch that never really delivers on the potential of the concept.

Not entirely dissimilar to the American show Amish in The City, this series follows siblings Andrew and Leah Miller and three of their friends from their local Amish community, engaging in the rites of passage known as "rumspringa" (loosely translated as "running around") which allows teenagers to go on a voyage of self-discovery (though rarely abroad) before settling down as upstanding members of their strict religious sect. At this time they are no longer under the control of their parents on weekends and, because they are not baptised, the church does not have full sway over them either.

Originally Swiss in origin, it's safe to say that most people's perception of the Amish is that offered by Peter Weir’s film Witness, starring Harrison Ford. Indeed, within the pre-credits we see horse and traps standing in for automobiles and a good old-fashioned barn raising. Soon the youngsters are experiencing their first plane journey, replete with their new passports and, for many of them, the first view of the ocean. Much is made of the group's lack of knowledge of modern cultural "icons" (Marilyn Monroe, JFK, John Lennon), though truth be told probably many of the young London teenagers they initially meet would be hard pushed to recognise them as well.

Kennington is the first destination, with the cramped estates and talk of stabbings and shootings proving an entirely alien world to the visitors - but again, this could equally be compared to British teenagers from the country that would be aware of such events happening, but having never been directly exposed to them. A game of rounders is cleverly edited to make the locals look far less adroit than their charges, and a visit to Soho (described as the "devil's territory" by Leah, as she coincidentally brandishes a camcorder) proves similarly unsettling. The group is equally bemused when being exposed to the Diversity-style dancing of their hosts, which in itself is just a similar form of group bonding as a bible study group. It seems we ain't that different after all.

Channel 4's deputy head of documentaries Simon Dickson describes the Amish as "a notoriously private community", yet with the antecedent of Amish In The City and the interpolations of an Amish elder reading from the bible, whilst we see scenes of the Amish's repression against their hosts promiscuity, there seems little chance that that the further three episodes will uncover any more deep-seated truths.



Airs at 8pm on Sunday 25th July 2010 on Channel 4.

Reviewed by Simon Cole.