A new BBC reality show where the poor compete for a cash prize has been criticised as a tribute to The Hunger Games.
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The network argues Britain's Hardest Grafter is instead a "serious social experiment".
The show is seeking 25 of Britain's poorest, with applications limited to those who earn or recieve benefits of less than £15500 ($31,000) a year. The contestants will compete in a series of tasks and jobs with the "least effective workers" asked to leave until a final winner is announced.
That winner will win a relatively modest cash prize: £15500 (NZ$31,000), the minimum annual wage for workers outside of London.
Website Graduate Fog said the show "feels distinctly Hunger Games". They asked whether contestants will be paid for their hours of working on the show, and production company Twenty Twenty clarified that they would.
The Hunger Games series of novels and films depicts a capitalist dystopia where teenagers are forced to fight to the death in a barbaric reality TV show. The contestants from the poorer districts are at a distinct disadvantage inside and outside of the games - the 'odds are never in their favour'.
Others compared it to the classics of the 'poverty-porn' oeuvre - shows like Benefit Street in the UK and Struggle Street in Australia.
A Change.org petition to have the show cancelled has gathered almost 8000 signatures. It criticised the "degrading and exploitative game show format".
The show was defended in a joint statement from the BBC and production company Twenty Twenty. Britain's Hardest Grafter will "tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time", namely Britain's low productivity, high immigration, and benefit system.
"Each week the contributors – who are all in work or actively looking – will experience a different 'blue collar' role as the series explores the truth about Britain's work ethic. Throughout the series, the contributors are rewarded for the work they do."
The statement notes that the show was developed not as entertainment but as current affairs.
Society has reached a new low. Pitting desperate people against each other so we can mock them for entertainment. http://t.co/cWkCCiMr9s
— UtopianFireman ☭ (@UtopianFireman) May 28, 2015
Disgraceful. Poverty is NOT a form of entertainment. http://t.co/anbTUNsfB4
— Abby Tomlinson (@twcuddleston) May 28, 2015
Dear @BBC This is a spoof, right? Just want to check. Given you're supposed to be good. And this is a DISGRACE. http://t.co/LseiadI6xm
— Robert MacDonald (@RFMacDonald) May 27, 2015
Fairfax News NZ
