Philanthropy TV
Here’s the premise (from The Guardian Unlimited): The show will take five millionaire, would-be philanthropists and force them to live undercover for 10 days on the equivalent of state benefit or doing a menial job for the minimum wage in some of the most deprived areas of Britain. At the end of the period, during which they are expected to get out and about in the community under the guise of appearing in a TV show that swaps the rural poor for the city poor, they decide which individuals deserve their money.
At the end, the millionaire gives away ₤50,000 of their own money. There is something slightly offensive about the concept (poverty tourism, as the article suggests). But then again, those who watch are likely to gain an understanding of what it means to live in poverty and those who give away such a tidy sum are to be commended. You can certainly do worse in the reality TV genre!! I really really hope we can see this show in Canada.
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