It’s back. Channel 4’s Posh Pawn returns for a new series, and millions of us are tuning in to sate our addiction for seeing cash-starved people pawning their high-end personal assets to raise money. Right from the outset, star of the show James Constantinou has us transfixed with a collection of exceedingly rare items, reputedly from historic Arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton’s forays into the icy polar wastelands.

We also see Constantinou valuing some slobberingly gorgeous vintage Chanel handbags, placed for pawning by a celebrity desperate to finance her next Botox procedure and pay for a sparklingly new bathroom.

What makes this show such compelling viewing? Some of the individuals bringing their valuable possessions to Constantinou’s gimlet-eyed valuers are decidedly colourful in their personalities, but that’s only part of the appeal. Maybe somewhere inside all of us, no matter how eccentric the show’s cash-seeking personalities may seem, we can identify with their need for urgent borrowing to finance a new business, pay for private education for their kids following a divorce or pay for unforeseen repairs or contingencies that simply won’t wait for a bank loan.

In actuality (and we can’t blame Mr Constantinou for not mentioning it), there’s another way to raise much-needed cash against high-end personal assets - an option that beats the pawnbroker choice handily. It’s the unbeatable secured asset loan from peer-to-peer lender Unbolted.

Why “unbeatable?” There are several reasons. Firstly, Unbolted respects the privacy of everyone who seeks borrowing from its pool of investors. That means no publicly visible trips to a shop like Mr Constantinou’s (even if it is top-drawer), no visits to your home or business premises from our specialist valuation partners and - unlike most peer-to-peer lenders and all banks - no intrusive credit searches.

Applicants’ creditworthiness is irrelevant to Unbolted’s investors, because the platform collateralises a high-value possession (an “asset”) as security for its short-term loans, most of which mature in six months (the term can on occasions be extended). So there’ll be no digital footprint relating to credit history when you take out an Unbolted loan.

That’s just the beginning. If you can repay the loan at any point within that six-month period, you’ll have the asset returned to you (it’s safely stored in bespoke conditions by Unbolted). There are no penalties for early settlement. And above all, the interest rates are simply, truly and verifiably unbeatable. As a digital, online-only p2p lending platform, Unbolted has none of the expensive overheads of running bricks-and-mortar premises that banks and pawnbrokers have.

Here is Rito Haldar, co-founder of Unbolted, talking to Talk Business magazine:

“We set up Unbolted because we want to challenge the way people can access credit through the out-dated pawn industry and other secured lenders. We’ll do that by being transparent, offering fairer terms, cheaper rates and a convenient, easy-to-use online service that puts consumers firmly in control of their borrowing.

“At Unbolted, we use a peer-to-peer online model which strips out many costs and ensures our customers can benefit from lower rates than typical larger loan companies or pawnbrokers.

“For us, it’s about making short-term borrowing affordable and simple so we can help asset-rich but cash-poor individuals and business owners. We want to champion change in this industry.”