As Homer Simpson once said: "Television - teacher, mother, secret lover!"
And he was right. Indeed, if the report over at the BBC today is correct, the UK public seem to derive most of their opinions from TV dramas:
"Almost half of the UK population form their opinions about crime and the police from television dramas, a new survey has revealed."
Out of 2500 people questioned 34% of people voted London as the UK's most dangerous area with just under a quarter of those actually admitting that "police programmes made them scared of real criminal activity". 10% said they were more careful "as a direct result of what they saw on TV".
We blame Eastenders. Walford (not a real place by the way) has more murderers per square foot than Death Row. And then there's The Bill, which has been getting more 'explosive' recently in a bid to attract new viewers. And London's Burning....and Spooks...and...oh my God, now we're starting to belive it too.
Here's the full list of areas 'perceived to be dangerous':
London : 34%
Manchester : 20%
Northern Ireland : 14.1%
Glasgow : 13.5%
Birmingham : 11.3%
Leeds : 3.1%
Cardiff : 1.8%
Dover : 1.2%
Newcastle : 1%