Shameful! Family-of-nine on benefits splurge £2,500 on 3D TV



Dean Bell and his brood feature in Channel 4's documentary series Skint

The family, all unemployed, receive £1,600 a month in state benefits



Bell happily admitted to splashing out on a £2,500 3D home cinema system

The former steel factory worker told the cameras taxpayers could 'f*** off' if they were unhappy with how he spends his money



Millions of viewers were already shocked and amazed by the antics of jobless Dean Bell and his family on a crime-riddled estate in Scunthorpe.

But when the former steel worker was shown on Channel 4 documentary Skint taking delivery of a top-of-the-range 3D 'cinema screen' TV paid for by welfare handouts, their outrage soared to new highs.

Twitter was flooded with messages of fury after the show's four million viewers saw the family of nine receiving the 47in TV before settling down in front of it wearing 3D glasses.

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Family fun: Dean Bell and his family (from left Alfie, 5, Harry, 8, Leah, 12, Danny, 15, and wife Clare) were filmed enjoying their new 3D LG TV which cost £2,500

Outspoken: Bell, who is unemployed, said that taxpayers who may be unhappy with his decision to use his family's benefits to purchase the TV could 'f*** off'

Mr Bell, 37, supports his unemployed wife and their seven children by claiming £1,600 a month in welfare payments. He admits there isn't a job in his town that pays enough to persuade him to apply, and it's clear he feels no shame about his reliance on the state.

Now, not only is he spending £2,500 of his family's benefits on the high-end television, but this is £1,300 more than its advertised price – because he is paying in weekly instalments over two years.

However, when told that taxpayers might be angered by the extravagant purchase, he said: 'I couldn't give a f*** what anyone thinks.'

Mr Bell also moaned that the price was higher because he could not pay the full amount upfront, adding: 'So b******* to them, who gives a f*** anyway?'

He continued: 'I don't care what they say, we are having to pay for this over two years.

'We can't afford to go out and pay for one straight away like those working-class people who have £2,000 a week coming in. It's us who is paying it, not them.'

TV stars: Dean and his wife Claire, pictured with their children, feature in the Channel 4 documentary series Skint which focuses on the lives of residents living on the Westcliff estate in Scunthorpe

Anger: The family have outraged viewers with their apparent aversion to work - with Bell previously claiming: 'There's nothing to do up here other than breed and feed'

Viewers of Skint – dubbed the real-life version of Shameless, in which Frank Gallagher fiddles his benefits and spends all his money on drugs and alcohol – were told how Mr Bell had to buy a new TV because his toddler broke the old one.

The couple, whose lifestyle was put under the spotlight in last Saturday's Daily Mail, have two young children together, and wife Claire has five from previous partners. In the last episode of the fly-on-the-wall documentary's depressing account of life on Scunthorpe's Westcliff estate, the family were shown sitting on the sofa watching the LG 'smart' TV, which boasts internet connectivity, surround sound, cinema-quality display, technology to convert 2D programmes into 3D and a 'magic remote' with voice recognition.

Dean bell, pictured watching a film with his family, said he didn't care what other people thought as he was paying for the TV - not them

The show has been likened to Channel 4 drama Shameless, focusing on a family in a Manchester estate

In an earlier episode Mr Bell complained he was forced to buy stolen goods because he couldn't afford to shop in supermarkets. 'I couldn't give a f*** what anyone thinks. I'll do anything for my kids, whether it's legal or illegal,' he said.

And when asked about life on the estate in Lincolnshire, he commented: 'There's nothing to do up here other than breed and feed.'

On the internet, the reaction to his latest purchase was almost universal condemnation. Twitter user Charlotte Simpson wrote: 'Why would you buy a high range TV if you can't feed your kids?'

Unemployed Dean (left) and Claire (right) say they struggle to care for their kids on the benefits they receive

