De Grote Donorshow
| De Grote Donorshow | |
|---|---|
 The Big Donor Show logo | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by | Patrick Lodiers |
| Starring | Patrick Lodiers |
| Country of origin | Netherlands |
| Original language | Dutch |
| Production | |
| Producer | Endemol |
| Original release | |
| Network | BNN |
The Big Donor Show (Dutch: De Grote Donorshow) was a hoax reality television programme which was broadcast in the Netherlands on Friday, June 1, 2007 by BNN. The programme involved a supposedly terminally ill 37-year-old woman donating her kidneys to one of three people requiring a kidney transplantation. Viewers were be able to send advice on who they think she should choose to give her kidney to via text messages.[1][2] The profit made by the text messages was given to a kidney patient foundation. The programme, due to its controversial nature, had received heavy international criticism in the run up to the broadcast.[1][2] In the end, it was revealed in the broadcast that the terminally ill woman was in reality an actress, although the three candidates were in fact kidney patients, but supportive of BNN's cause to give awareness to the limited number of organ donors, and were in on the hoax.[3]
In a press statement after the show, Paul Römer, the director of the programme's creator Endemol, stated that the show was necessary in order to get the shortage of donors back on the political agenda.[4]
Background
Bart de Graaff, the BNN founder who died in 2002, obtained a donor kidney in 1997. De Graaff had renal failure stemming from a car accident in his youth. The studio from which the show was aired contained photos of him, as seen on the picture to the right. It has been claimed that De Graaff was BNN's source of inspiration for the show, both by the show's host, Lodiers, as well as in the post-broadcast press release.[citation needed]
Criticism and reactions
Prior to the airing of the show
Joop Atsma, a member of the Tweede Kamer (lower house) for the Christian Democratic Appeal, had attempted to censor the show.[5] Dutch culture minister Ronald Plasterk, citing Dutch law, refused to prohibit the television program, although he found the program to be unethical because of the show's competitive element.[6] Before the show aired, the Dutch Kidney Foundation told a reporter "they welcomed all the attention the show had brought on the subject" but also stated that "their way of doing it is not ours, and it will bring no practical solution".[7] The Dutch prime minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende, had expressed his concerns for what he believed would damage the reputation of the Netherlands.[8]
Laurens Drillich, the current chairman of BNN, the broadcaster of the television program, defended the program and argued that the network deliberately wants to shock people and draw attention to the shortage of organ donors. "We very much agree that it's bad taste but we also believe that reality is even worse taste. I mean, it's going very, very bad with organ donorship in the Netherlands. We as a broadcaster, BNN, had someone who started our TV station who needed kidneys and was on a waiting list and died eventually at the age of 35. That happened five years ago and in the last five years the situation has only gotten worse in the Netherlands."[9]
After the airing of the show
In a press statement after the show, the director of Endemol, Paul Römer, stated "Let there be no misunderstanding, I would never make a programme such as 'De Grote Donor Show' for real. I do understand the massive outrage very well. But I also hope for people to understand why we did this. It was necessary to get the shortage of donors back on the political agenda. I call up everybody to get very angry about that, and to fill in a donor form." [4]
Ronald Plasterk told the press he now thought that "the show had been a fantastic idea, and a great stunt".[10] Joop Atsma, who had previously attempted to prohibit the show, has called it a "tasteless show", and claimed that he feels it didn't contribute to the solving of the problem.[citation needed]
In the few hours after the show BNN received SMS messages from over 12,000 viewers who told the network that they would fill in a donor form.[citation needed]
Laurens Drillich told the press "It was very hard to keep this a secret, and to tell this lie time after time, but I did it because of the good cause."[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b The Scotsman
- ^ a b Sky News
- ^ Washington Post, June 1, 2007
- ^ a b BNN's press statement in which BNN explains that the show was a hoax, and why they did it (in Dutch).
- ^ http://www.radio.nl/2003/home/medianieuws/010.archief/2007/05/120229.html
- ^ "Life, death and ratings". The Globe and Mail. 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ [1] News24.com, May 30 2007
- ^ "TV kidney competition was a hoax". BBC. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1937444.htm ABC online, May 30 2007
- ^ http://www.bnr.nl/ShowANPNieuwsArtikel.asp?Context=N%7C0%7CS%7Ceb6ac6d04b496335&newsPanel=binnenland&id=93488 ANP article in which Plasterk calls the show a "great stunt" (in Dutch)