Lads Army was a rather daft programme presented as an experimental documentary but it was really a scripted reality type show in my opinion.
A group of young men from the wrong side of tracks experience 1950s type National Service.
At the same time we have excerpts from interviews from celebrities who experienced actual National Service in the post war period. It is clear from some interviewees that they disliked National Service and thought it was awful.
Although there are some politicians who think National Service would be a good thing and these days anyone under the age of 75 years of age is unlikely to have experienced it and no be in another position to lecture to others about it.
As for the recruits they are set about to perform by the Corporals various tasks one of them eating slop almost like pigs. The tasks seem to be designed to humiliate, showed little purpose but the make the recruits look bad or moan.
It was a silly programme which was more of a guilty pleasure.