Your Face or Mine – a cruel, yet compelling show

In the age of Tinder and Instagram, judging people’s looks instantly is something that’s almost become part of the human experience. But, when the concept is brought to our screens, does it make for enjoyable TV? Time to look at the darkly hilarious world of Your Face or Mine, a show which toes the line between awful and amazing.

This all leads to some of the cringiest TV you’ll ever witness

The premise of the show is nice and simple. A couple are forced to judge their own looks, comparing them against celebrities, a line-up of people and each other – if their choices match those of the audience, they win some money. Then, to bring the awkwardness up to eleven, some mystery guests are brought in – ex-partners, celebrity crushes, best friends, family members – and sit between the couple as they judge their attractiveness. As this is going on, Jimmy Carr and Katherine Ryan sit at the side, full of quips and putdowns for the couple and, if they notice the slightest bit of tension, exacerbating it as much as possible.

This all leads to some of the cringiest TV you’ll ever witness. The end round is nice and tense at the best of times – imagine being confronted with one of your exes and having to decide whether they’re more attractive than your current partner. Or standing in a line-up of attractive people, as your partner (who inevitably won’t say you’re the most attractive) struggles to work out just how far down the line you should be. The way some of these rounds go, you’re amazed the couple could possibly want to stay together at the end.

Forcing their partner to judge them genuinely feels quite horrible

It’s really visceral stuff – you can feel that pain in your stomach as they sometimes struggle to make the choices. And it can sometimes feel really cruel. There are a number of episodes where the people involved quite clearly have self-esteem issues, and forcing their partner to judge them genuinely feels quite horrible – you do have to worry about the damage it might do to them, whether or not it’s all just a bit of fun. Mix in the episodes with people who aren’t conventionally attractive, who invariably come at the bottom of the looks rankings and are aware they will, and it can, at times, be incredibly horrible.

And yet, here’s the thing – it’s also fantastic, hilarious, addictive TV.

Carr and Ryan are the perfect hosts for this kind of show – they have a knack for producing barbs which are cutting and darkly funny, but never feel mean-spirited or like personal attacks. If you don’t get hung up on the initial premise, the jokes are genuinely really hilarious, and the fast pace means that it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

For a show built around superficiality, it doesn’t smile on people who are shallow or uncaring

And, much though I criticise it for sometimes being cruel, there are also elements that are strangely satisfying – seeing someone massively arrogant being brought down a peg or two by the audience when they learn they aren’t the be-all and end-all is really amusing. And, dare I say it, the show can even be quite reaffirming at times. Some of the partners are really nasty or callous about the people they claim to love, and the tide quickly turns against them – for a show built around superficiality, it doesn’t smile on people who are shallow or uncaring, and they wind up being pilloried by everyone. At a stretch, it could be considered a promoter of loyalty and respect (although it’s a bit of a giant stretch).

In an era where body confidence is key, it’s amazing that a show like Your Face or Mine could be made, but I’m certainly glad that it is. It’s perfect bingeing material, cringey at times and hilarious at others – try out a clip on Youtube, see what you think, and don’t blame me when you’re on the hundredth video hours later.