Reality TV vs legal reality

Channel 4’s The Inheritance has a clever premise: strangers in a stately home competing to win a share of the fortune left by the deceased. Whilst it’s set to be dramatic and entertaining, it’s also entirely fictional.

In reality, beneficiaries don’t need to form alliances, complete challenges or convince anyone they’re worthy of inheriting. They simply need to be named in a valid Will or fall within the Rules of Intestacy if no Will exists.

The legal truth about inheritance

In England, estate administration is governed by law, not by drama. When someone dies, their estate is managed by a personal representative (an executor if there’s a Will, or an administrator if there isn’t).

Their job is to:

• Apply for a Grant of Representation (if required)
• Identify and value assets
• Pay debts and taxes
• Distribute the estate to the rightful beneficiaries

Beneficiaries don’t earn their inheritance: they are legally entitled to it and personal representatives are bound to follow the instructions in the Will or the Rules of Intestacy, not personal opinions or outcomes of popularity contests.

Fact or fiction? 

Shows like The Inheritance can leave viewers believing the following fictions: 

• That personal representatives have discretion over who inherits
• That inheritance is negotiable or competitive
• That legal documents are just a formality

This can cause confusion, disputes and unnecessary stress during an already difficult time.

The legal professional’s role: Cutting through the drama

The administration of an estate is a structured and transparent process and the role of a legal professional is to guide clients through it with clarity, compassion and legal accuracy.