RESIDENTS of a town that shot to fame thanks to The Only Way is Essex say the once thriving area is now a “ghost town”.
The reality show – which followed the lives of a group of Essex natives – hit our screens in 2010, catapulting the likes of Mark Wright, Gemma Collins and Joey Essex to superstardom.
The Only Way is Essex put Brentwood on the map
Amy Childs had a salon in the town before shutting up shop
Salon owner Camille Perry and fiancee Zack would do ‘blow dry after blow dry’ at Towie’s height
Cabbie Dave Hall, whose nephew Jake Hall starred in Towie, says the town has changed massively in recent years
Brentwood high street would be awash with clubbers most weekends from 2010-2015
Centred around the town of Brentwood, thousands of fans would flock from as far afield as Sweden to get a taste of Towie action.
Punters would pile into show hangouts like the now-closed Sugar Hut and pay hundreds for Towie Tours that would take in businesses run by the cast.
But as the show’s popularity tumbled and with stars like Joey Essex shutting their businesses – tourism to Brentwood collapsed as the “Towie curse” took hold.
Cabbie Dave Hall, whose nephew Jake Hall starred in the show, was at a taxi rank when he told how at Towie’s height he would take 80 fares every weekend raking in up to £400-per-shift.
Dave, 69, added: “When Towie came in 2010 it was big, we were amazed by it.
“They’d come from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Ireland. It was absolutely mental. The hotels, there was never enough rooms!
“They’d come down in the daytime, be in the bars, hen parties. Then go to the girls’ cosmetic shops and go out on the razz all night.”
But while the show took Brentwood to “another level” – one point becoming one of the most affluent in Britain – Dave admits weekends are now “absolutely dead”.
The Brentwood resident of 33-years explained: “It changed after 2015. I now do 15/20 fares. But they’re not as good fares. Just local people going from the station, home.”
Schnauzer owner Grace, 25, thinks Towie “had its day” and many locals lost interest in the show partly because of the “negative impact” it had on Essex’s image.
Meanwhile Sangita Patel, owner of Newstime newsagents with husband Prajay since 2010, says Brentwood became a ghost town when Towie fans stopped coming.
The 59-year-old would make up to £1500 a day, partly thanks to tourists staying at the 230 room Premier Inn – once owned by Alan Sugar – next door.
She added: “They would come on the way to the high street, about 300-400 people, now it’s about 120, it’s a ghost town. Now we make half the money.”
Towie Tours – popular with Hen parties and birthday groups – would inject vast sums of cash into Brentwood and give fans a chance to visit Amy Childs’ Salon and Sam and Billie Faiers’ Minnies boutique.
Salon owner Camille Perry – who’s run Camille’s for six years – knows this all too well.
The 34-year-old would offer packages for gaggles of pals and hen’s that would fill days “9am to 9pm” with “blow dry after blow dry”.
She told The Celeb Report: “These can range from £29 – £45, if you’ve got 20-30 people coming in, you do the maths.”
Camille added: “You could never get booked into a hotel, the Holiday Inn was literally ridiculous, they opened it because we had so many people coming in at the weekend. “
Fiancée and co-owner Zack Subohon said girls would travel from as far afield as Sweden for a dolly up at Camille’s and a Towie-style night in Brentwood.
‘No reason to come here’
But Camille admitted those days are long gone and she hasn’t had a hen party in three years.
Asked what’s going on, she reckoned: “I personally don’t watch the show anymore. The characters change too frequently and they don’t build that rapport anymore. I don’t know who’s in it.”
Despite the fall in tourism to Brentwood – population 55,000 – Camille says she’s not struggling like other businesses and has adapted.
When The Celeb Report visited the town fleets of flash Rolls Royces, Bentley’s, Range Rovers and Jaguars were cruising up and down the street.
House prices are high in the town, with a four bed semi setting you back £780,000 while the average home fetches £535,000.
Sitting on a bench in the high street, college pals Molly Rowland, Sophie Wickham and Dejana Tovic, all 18, said the town has changed massively since Towie’s height.
Molly said: “People knew that if you would come to Brentwood high street you might see Towie stars, get a picture with them on Instagram, boost your popularity.
“But overtime as the Towie stars have become less popular its not really busy. There’s no reason to come here now.”
Sophie reckons Towie gave Brentwood a “trampy stereotype” while Dejana thinks as theoriginal cast moved on and started families the show nosedived in popularity.
Brentwood Council has been approached for comment by The Celeb Report.
Newsagent Sangita Patel reckons she takes half what she did when tourists flocked to the town
Punters would pile into show hangouts like Sugar Hut which has now closed down
The Holiday Inn would be packed most weekends with Towie fans
Pete Wicks and Chloe Sims were fan favourites in Towie
Amy Childs’ store has since moved on and been replaced by a nail bar
Joey Essex’s former clothes shop Fusey is now a wine store
Brentwood was the centre of the Towie universe and attracted thousands of tourists a year
Hundreds of tourists would book into the Premier Inn for weekends in Brentwood
