Lawyers representing Mr Abramovich told the BBC he denied "any allegation that he had any knowledge" or was "personally responsible" or liable for "any alleged deception of any government authority" to evade tax.

What I think he either was naive about or didn’t understand was the moral compromises that would come from a job that is centered in a world of deception, violence, lies, double-crossing.

Kennedy's critics pointed out that empty rhetoric about nutrition and exercise is a standard deception ploy from anti-vaccine activists.

He runs a seven-day boot camp that remakes lonely guys both outside and in, including flashy shirts and haircuts to what he calls “strategic deception.”

But could the popularity of this show, based on deception and double-dealing, tell us something fundamental about the contemporary British psyche?