"We all piss out of the same hole, s**t out of the same hole and come out of the same hole," says Stockton-on-Tees resident Sue Griffiths ahead of the return of Channel 4's controversial documentary series Benefits Street. It's a frank summary of how Sue feels that benefit claimants shouldn't be considered any less of a person.
Kingston Road's Tilery Estate in north-east England is the new location for series two of Benefits Street, as chosen by Channel 4 and Great British Bake Off producers Love Productions. Kieran Smith, Love's creative director for factual programming, explains that the estate was selected in part because of its "strong sense of community".
"Right at the heart of this - the increasing divide between rich and poor, the increasing prominence of welfare as a subject in the public eye means that it's a really, really important subject," Channel 4's head of documentaries Nick Mirsky tells Digital Spy and other reporters following a screening of the first episode.
"And it's right that Channel 4 should be looking at it, and it's right that Channel 4 looked at it last year and takes a look at it this year.
"It's become - with benefits sanctions and increasing benefits cuts - only a more important subject. It felt right that we should be doing it, but I would say it was about that, and a sense of community," he adds.
The opening scene of the first episode sees inhabitants of the Tilery Estate scoffing at the description of the series in a local paper as "poverty porn." ("We're all porn stars!" one resident named Maxwell laughs.)
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So, is Benefits Street gratuitous 'poverty porn' - or will this series give us a thought-provoking and perhaps even positive insight into life on benefits?
The first episode mainly follows press and photographers, as they descend upon the estate after catching wind that a new series is being filmed there. The residents' initial response is apprehension followed by hostility, as they begin to feel exposed to a media scrutiny beyond their control.
We meet residents including Maxwell, plus tough mother-of-six and the street's fond agony aunt Julie Young, her best friend and soul mate Sue, the destitute Lee Nutley, and mum-of-five Dot Taylor.
Meanwhile, local MP Alex Cunningham also makes an appearance on the estate. What the residents seem to want more than anything is a park or some form of recreational area for the children.
When we're introduced to resident Julie Young at the screening, she was quick to defend the production team.
"We formed a good relationship with the film crew. Nobody was forced, nobody was pestered to film," she explained. "We haven't done this because we want to be famous.
"The reason was to tell a story of caring, and of a community that wouldn't have been able to cope without that close community, the community that's there for everybody," she stressed. "We portray ourselves as real to the cameras."
White Dee - who carved out a media career including an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother after the first series of Benefits Street is soon mentioned, and this series' participants face questions on whether they were prepared for potential fame - or even infamy.
"We watched the first one," says Julie. "It's just another chapter in our lives. None of us have gone on it thinking we're going to be stars. Each and every one of us have our own stories to tell. They're powerful stories. They're human stories. They're real-life stories."
Julie's story is especially powerful and emotive. During the first episode, we see the former community support liaison worker caring for her 15-year-old son Reagan, who at nine months old suffered a stroke which left him with severe brain damage.
Along with NHS nurses and carers, Julie provided him with round-the-clock care, and during one heart-rending moment, can be seen singing Roberta Flack's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' to her son as she cradles him in her arms.
Nick Mirsky explains to reporters that Reagan tragically passed away after filming. It's hard not to feel affected by Julie's story when we're shown the unimaginable struggle of this family - and thus the importance of benefits to them.
However, it's not long before we're feeling slightly uneasy following the introduction of wayward resident Maxwell - known on Kingston Road as the 'King of the Kids'.
Maxwell, now aged 35, was sent to prison for three years at the age of 18, and has a string of convictions for fraud, resisting arrest, dealing drugs and shining laser pens at police helicopters.
We see Maxwell in his council flat on the Tilery Estate - where he's lived for 9 years - nonchalantly handling a big bag of cannabis worth £130 and smoking a bong. And all minutes before a court appearance.
The narrator also informs us that Maxwell receives disability benefits for memory loss. You can't help but feel it's exploitative in some way, even though both Channel 4 and Love Productions insist that Maxwell is well aware the cameras are rolling, and that this is a normal day in his life - this is what he would be doing even if the cameras weren't there.
And yet some of the residents suggest that perhaps Maxwell is playing up to the cameras - and you can't help but wonder whether he's fully aware of the consequences of his actions, or if he's just been seduced and swept up by the prospect of not just being on television, but by people and a production company suddenly taking an interest in his life.
Resident Chrissie Nutley - mother to 45-year-old Lee - told us: "When they first started filming, it was a bit overwhelming. And in the case of Maxwell, when we see him doing [drugs], that was a bit of a shock. Because he's not like that. He's a lovely lad. I think it was just bravado and because the cameras were there."
When reporters question Channel 4's decision to broadcast Maxwell taking and dealing drugs, and the ethics surrounding that decision - "has Maxwell made an appointment with police to be rearrested?" - it's then we're informed that he's back behind bars.
"Maxwell is in prison, and if you follow the series, you will discover what happens to Maxwell," Love Production's Kieran Smith replies.
"It's an important point that when we're in the position where what we're filming is an illegal activity, there are very strict guidelines and protocols to adhere to. So we are never suggesting to Maxwell that he does this on camera. We don't encourage him in any way, shape or form.
"We also, in instances like that - like Fungi in the last series - if we film what they are doing, and it is an illegal activity, and it is broadcast, there is a likelihood that it will be followed up by police. And that is all spelled out to people very clearly.
"Now, we filmed with Maxwell over a long period of time, and we were very clear about the repercussions of his behaviour and what might happen to him. I think with the importance of Fungi in the last series [a former Benefits Street contributor who was seen battling drug addiction and alcoholism in series one] and with Maxwell now, we're not glorying in his behaviour.
"We'll see Maxwell's trajectory through the series, what his life is like," he says.
It feels bleak - and perhaps a bit gratuitous - that we've got to keep watching Benefits Street to see how Maxwell ends up back in prison.
When ethics are brought up again in regards to Maxwell's benefits for memory loss, and whether it is morally acceptable to film someone suffering from this apparent disability, Smith defended the decision by responding: "We filmed him for six months on a day-by-day basis. We had many conversations about consent, about whether he was aware of what he was doing.
"He was very keen - actually, drug taking is part of his life - and there's a lot more to Maxwell that you'll discover throughout the series. He was very keen to film with us and share his life.
"We took the decision, we filmed with him for a long period of time, he was fully aware of the decisions he was making and the implications of that."
Did any of the residents have any qualms or concerns with the way they or their community came across on the programme?
Julie Young replies to this: "Maxwell's life is [his] story, how he lives his life is not my concern. We were all given choices, and when we watched episode one, we were asked if there was anything we didn't like and it was taken out.
"We spoke to Kieran [Smith] and the crew if we had any concerns, and it was taken off. There was only one person that wanted something taken off, and that was just her personal decision.
"Everybody who's on it is happy. And we've all got their phone numbers, and we can ring anybody at any time if we're concerned about anything. And they really are supportive, and I'm not just saying that because they're here - because I'm not a shrinking violet!"
"We make adjustments for factual accuracy - and if we feel there are vulnerabilities, we have a look at particular stories with a sensitivity to that," Nick Mirsky adds.
The show does celebrate a strong sense of community - we see residents providing food and cooking for those who are struggling to feed themselves - such as the recently laid-off Lee, who doesn't seem to own a single kitchen appliance that works.
Benefits Street provokes empathy as it details the plight of most of the residents we meet, and it gives us an insight as to why they rely on benefits - something that perhaps wasn't highlighted as much in the last series.
The heart of the story for us isn't necessarily "the increasing divide between rich and poor [and] the increasing prominence of welfare as a subject in the public eye", but rather Julie, the matriarch of Tilery Estate.
Not only does Julie selflessly look out and provide for her neighbours, but she's also cared for her severely disabled son while taking it all in her stride. We do see "the caring, the community that's there for everybody," as she herself suggested.
And while Maxwell's situation left us feeling uncomfortable - especially given that a fellow resident suggested that he was perhaps putting on a bit of an act - the first episode of Benefits Street stayed with us long after the screening. Whatever your views on benefits and welfare, it will definitely give you something to think about.
Benefits Street returns to Channel 4 on Monday, May 11 at 9pm.
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
