Dumped was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 programme which started on 2 September 2007 and aired nightly until 5 September 2007 on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

. It involved 11 contestants living for three weeks on a rubbish dump next to a landfill

Landfill

A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

 site near Croydon

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

, Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

. The contestants who "survived" the 21 days and used only what they found on the dump were awarded £20,000 to share equally between them. The working title

Working title

A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...

 of the programme was Eco-Challenge. One contestant, Darren Lumsden, voluntarily left the programme on Day 3. The series was promoted with a large publicity campaign, which included advertisements on websites and a concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...

. The programme achieved a peak of 2.4 million viewers, although this was marginally less than the number of people watching other channels at the same time. The programme was criticised because it was filmed on an artificial landfill and for its choice of "fame hungry" contestants.

Production and Format

Dumped, which was filmed in June 2006, was initially scheduled for Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

's Spring 2007 line-up. However, this did not occur and the programme was then postponed until the start the channel's period of "creative renewal", which was established due to the racism controversy

Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy

The Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy was a series of events related to incidents of perceived racist behaviour by contestants on the television series Celebrity Big Brother 2007 shown on British television station Channel 4...

 that occurred during the 2007 series

Celebrity Big Brother 2007 (UK)

Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the highly controversial fifth series of the United Kingdom reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, a spin-off of Big Brother. The series was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK , and involved a number of celebrities referred to as 'housemates', who live in the...

 of Celebrity Big Brother.

11 participants, who were not initially informed of their task, must live on a purpose-made rubbish dump adjacent to a working landfill

Landfill

A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...

 site for 21 days after being left equipped only with a sleeping bag, drinking can and one roll of lavatory paper each. However, food was delivered to the landfill on a weekly basis. A prize fund of £20,000 was shared equally between those who participated for the entire three weeks. Rob Holdway, director of environmental consultancy Giraffe Innovation, presented the programme and set the contestants regular challenges. The participants had to wear Kevlar

Kevlar

Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...

 gloves, protective boots and face masks when working on the real landfill site. Every person working on the programme was given tetanus

Tetanus

Tetanus is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani...

, polio and hepatitis

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...

 vaccinations for their safety.

Contestants

The 11 contestants who participated "represented the complete spectrum of public opinion on environmental issues". Potential participants were not told that the programme would involve living on a landfill, but were instead told that they would be part of "a unique eco-challenge". One participant, Darren Lumsden, voluntarily left the programme after just three days, claiming that the experience had taught him nothing.

Name	Age	Occupation	Hometown	Source
Aaron Twitchen	20	Psychology Psychology Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...   student Undergraduate education Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...	Devon Devon Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
Sasha Gardner	25	Model	Bournemouth Bournemouth Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
Jermaine Liburd	30	Semi-professional Semi-professional A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...  footballer	Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
Sylvia Viosna	27	Sales manager Sales management Sales management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of sales techniques and the management of a firm's sales operations. It is an important business function as net sales through the sale of products and servicess and resulting profit drive most commercial...	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Ian Nash	23	Marine engineer Marine engineering In maritime transportation, the engine department or engineering department is an organizational unit aboard a ship that is responsible for the operating the propulsion systems and the support systems for crew, passengers and cargo. This work is carried out by marine engineering officers who...	Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Selena Lethbridge-Carr	37	Personal trainer Personal trainer A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...	Surrey Surrey Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
Jarvis Smith	36	Advertising manager Advertising management Advertising management is a career path in the advertising industry. Advertising & promotions managers may work for an agency, a PR firm, a media outlet, or may be hired directly by a company to develop branding for the company's product or service...	Leicester Leicester Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
Christine Flynn	47	Designer Designer A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...	Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
Jason Blair	36	Singer	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Lawrence Rimmer	19	Biology Biology Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...  student Undergraduate education Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...	Derbyshire Derbyshire Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Darren Lumsden	27	Tattooist Tattoo artist A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a tattoo shop, tattoo studio or tattoo parlour...	Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

Pre-series publicity

Described as Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

's "biggest marketing campaigns of the year", Dumped was promoted via various methods. Advertisements for the programme appeared on websites such as Yahoo, The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

, New Scientist

New Scientist

New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...

, The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

and MSN

MSN

MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...

. Television adverts, using the 1998 single "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp

"Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" is the second single from Mercury Rev's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs. The single was released in the UK on January 25, 1999, and peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart....

" by Mercury Rev

Mercury Rev

Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...

, featured people performing everyday tasks such as bathing

Bathing

Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....

 whilst on the landfill. Posters featuring the programme's tagline, "Living off the landfill", were displayed across Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and others appeared on the London Underground

London Underground

The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...

. Some bus shelters

Bus stop

A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...

 within London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 featured posters which were made out of rubbish, and 2 September 2007 edition of The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...

featured a biodegradable bag wrap to promote the programme. Eight members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...

 performed Land of Hope and Glory

Land of Hope and Glory

"Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar and lyrics by A. C. Benson, written in 1902.- Composition :...

on the landfill site that the programme was filmed, using instruments that had been made out of waste.

Episode breakdown

Episode Number	Timescale	Events	Departures	Viewing Figures
1	Days 1-3	On Day 1, the 11 participants met in a hotel near Gatwick Airport. They were initially told that they were participating in a television programme about man's effect on the environment. As they were all given vaccinations before the start of the programme, provided with "survival kits" and told to bring their passports, many of the group speculated that they will fly abroad from nearby Gatwick Airport. However, they were driven on a bus with tinted windows to a rubbish dump outside Croydon Croydon Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross... . The group were shocked, and presenter Rob Holdway told them that they were to use a shipping container to provide shelter for the first night only, and would then have to construct their own shelter from the waste products in the dump for use from Day 2 and onwards. The group continued to build their shelter on Day 2. Rob Holdway arrived at the site with a trailer filled with food. He said that the average British person threw away this amount of food in one year, and that the group had to live on this food for the remainder of the week. Day 3 saw the group visit the real landfill site, which is located next to the artificial dump that they were staying on.	Darren Lumsden asked to leave the dump, claiming that the experience was not worthwhile.	2.4 million
2	Days 4-7	Day 4 saw the participants become scavengers Waste picker A waste picker, recycler, rag picker, salvager, binner, informal resource recoverer, poacher, or a scavenger, is a person who salvages recyclable elements from mixed waste... , as they were able to sell waste products from the dump to Ray, a rag and bone man Rag and bone man Rag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany... . Ian held a group meeting about rebuilding the shelter that was constructed on Day 2, and assigns roles to the others. Rob enters the camp to inform the participants that the chemical toilet Chemical toilet A chemical toilet is a toilet which uses chemicals to deodorize the waste instead of simply storing it in a hole, or piping it away to a sewage treatment plant. Common types include aircraft lavatory, some passenger train toilets and the portable toilets used on construction sites and at large...  will be removed from the camp, and that the group will have to make a composting version Composting toilet A composting toilet is a dry toilet that using a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition... . The chemical toilets were removed on Day 5 and Lawrence designed the composting toilet. He held a meeting with the group and organised them into three teams, giving each team instructions on how to build a particular part of the toilet. Selena was the only person contributing to dump life on Day 6; she was collecting materials for Ray the scrap man's visit the next day. However, Jason was not working due to religious reasons, as it was Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from... . Lawrence held another group meeting on Day 7, as the urinal that he designed was leaking and nobody had informed him. The issue of toilet hygiene was also raised, and this discussion escalates into an argument. Ray, the scrap man, visits the dump later in the day and buys some, but not all, of the waste that the group have collected. Overall, £45 Pound sterling The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...  was made.	N/A	1.7 million
3	Days 8-15	Rob entered the dump on the morning of Day 8 to tell the participants that he would be staying with them for the next 24 hours. He took Selena, Jarvis and Sylvia on a trip around the dump to try to inspire them to improve the camp's appearance. Meanwhile, Sasha and Jermaine made a hot tub Hot tub A hot tub is a large tub or small pool full of heated water and used for soaking, relaxation, massage, or hydrotherapy. In most cases, they have jets for massage purposes. Hot tubs are usually located outdoors, and are often sheltered for protection from the elements, as well as for privacy....  out of objects from the landfill and Jason celebrated his birthday. Rob leaves the camp on Day 9, telling the group that they could put more effort into improving the comfort and appearance of the landfill. Jason starts work on a solar-powered shower and unwanted plants are delivered to the dump, which the participants make a garden from. Lawrence and Ian took Rob's comments into consideration on Day 10 and set plans for improvements to the living space, which they decided to implement over the next three days. 1000 unwanted mobile phones were delivered to the site and the group constructed a cycle-powered generator to charge a battery for the phones so they could telephone home. On Day 11, Aaron and Sasha sorted through discarded textiles from the dump and Jason continued work on the shower. Day 12 saw Ray the rag and bone man return to the dump. He gave the group £82 for the objects that they had gathered; the group used this money to buy a wind turbine. Sasha took charge of the construction of the sauna on Day 13, while the group uses the wind turbine to power a refrigerator. Lawrence lead the group on the reconstruction of the shelter on Day 14. He planned the project, allocated the individual jobs and organised a rota for breaks. The group worked through the rain on Day 15 to construct their shelter. Aaron, Sasha and Sylvia lost their shower privileges as they overslept. An argument started in the camp between Jermaine and Selena, which resulted in producers having to enter the dump.	N/A	1.5 million
4	Days 16-21	The group constructed the shelter's roof for most of Day 16 and Rob spoke to the participants about electronic waste Electronic waste Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. There is a lack of consensus as to whether the term should apply to resale, reuse, and refurbishing industries, or only to product that cannot be used for its... . The group woke on Day 17 to find that their shelter was not watertight, as rain had come through the structure during the night, and they spent most of the day correcting this problem. Selena and Jermaine stirred the group's feces into the composter, adding worms which Rob had provided. Sasha opened the spa which she had constructed and the group nominated Aaron, Sasha, Jermain and Ian for a recycling challenge. Aaron, Sasha, Jermain and Ian woke at 5:30am on Day 18 to take part in a recycling challenge. They traveled on a waste collection vehicle Waste collection vehicle Garbage truck refers to a truck specially designed to collect small quantities of waste and haul the collected waste to a solid waste treatment facility. Other common names for this type of truck include trash truck and dump truck in the United States, and bin wagon, dustcart, dustbin lorry, bin... , collecting rubbish from nearby homes. The rubbish that they collected was deposited in the dump, where the other participants joined them in sorting out what could be recycled. The group passed this task, and received a biodiesel Biodiesel Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....  generator as a reward. On Day 19, the group turned on their biodiesel generator and powered objects from the dump such as a lava lamp. The group made a £120 profit from selling objects to the rag and bone man. They decided to pay for the rental of An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the... to watch on the TV/DVD Player that they found, despite some members of the group wanting to watch Borat Borat Borat Sagdiyev is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen... . The results of the carbon footprint Carbon footprint A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...  questionnaires were revealed. The participants celebrated their final night on the dump with a party on Day 20. Day 21 saw the participants gather their belongings as they prepared to leave the landfill. Friends and family members arrived at the dump and were shown around by the participants.	The remaining 10 participants left the landfill, splitting the £20,000 prize money equally.	1.9 million

Viewing figures

Dumped received relatively low viewing figures for a peak time

Prime time

Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...

 programme on a terrestrial

Terrestrial television

Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...

 channel. The first episode of the programme received just 2.4 million viewers, 10% of the audience, compared to the television premiere of The Queen

The Queen (film)

The Queen is a 2006 British drama film directed by Stephen Frears, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Helen Mirren as the title role, HM Queen Elizabeth II...

on ITV1

ITV1

ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

 which was watched by an average of 7.9 million people and attracted a 36% audience share. Coming Down the Mountain

Coming Down the Mountain

Coming Down the Mountain is a 2007 British television movie which was shown on BBC One, written by Mark Haddon and directed by Julie Anne Robinson. The television movie was based on a radio play also written by Haddon.-Plot:David and Ben Philips are teenage brothers who live in London. Ben has...

, also airing at the same time on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

, was watched by 4.7 million and a 20% share. The second episode was watched by 1.7 million, compared to the 3.6 million that watched the opening episode of the third series of ITV1's Hell's Kitchen

Hell's Kitchen (UK TV series)

Hell's Kitchen was a British cookery reality show aired on ITV which featured prospective chefs competing with each other for a final prize. Four series had been aired since 2004, three presented by Angus Deayton and the latest by Claudia Winkleman....

. The penultimate episode was viewed by 1.5 million viewers and had a 7% audience share, while Hell's Kitchen received 3.4 million viewers and a 15% audience share. The final episode of the programme attracted 1.9 million viewers and an audience share of 8%, while 4.2 million viewed Hell's Kitchen, a 19% audience share. Both programmes were beaten in their slot by BBC One's Traffic Cops

Traffic Cops

Traffic Cops is a documentary series on BBC One which follows traffic officers from various British police forces. The current series follows Bedfordshire Police. Previous series have followed Cheshire, Hampshire, Humberside, South Wales, South Yorkshire and Sussex police forces...

, which attracted 5.5 million and a 25% share of the audience.

Reviews

Dumped was met with a mixed reaction from critics. James Walton, of The Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

, was critical of the programme and its purpose; on Darren's departure, he said: "According to the narrator, this proved that Darren “didn’t understand” the experiment. Another interpretation, of course, would be that he did." The Times

The Times

The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

criticised the programme for setting the programme in an artificial rubbish dump for health and safety reasons, comparing it to various fakery scandals that had taken place in the programme Blue Peter

Blue Peter

Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...

in the past year. However, Nigel Kendall of the same newspaper called the programme "entertaining" and its contestants "likeable", while Paul Hoggart said that it gets its point across. Website TV Scoop said that the programme was "a great experiment", but did not approve of the inclusion of "fame hungry" participants and compared the programme to the most recent series

Big Brother 2007 (UK)

Big Brother 2007 was the eighth series of the United Kingdom reality television programme Big Brother, airing on Channel 4, with a number of closely associated programmes also airing on E4....

 of Big Brother

Big Brother (UK)

Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...

. The website Hecklerspray gave the programme a negative review, calling the participants "absolute fucking morons", and Orange

Orange United Kingdom

Orange is a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom, which launched in 1994. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was purchased by France Télécom in 2000, which then adopted the Orange brand for all its other mobile communications activities...

 gave the programme 3 out of 5 stars. Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 controller Julian Bellamy commented on the programme's failure during Edinburgh Television Festival 2008

Edinburgh International Television Festival

The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976, is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre....

, saying that it "didn't have the human narrative you need" and that it was "a little bit too like other reality shows".

Controversy

It was initially alleged that the programme was staged, as the landfill that the contestants were living on was created especially for the filming. However, Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 has dismissed these allegations, stating that the programme could not be filmed on the real landfill due to health and safety regulations and that they have been "careful not to mislead". An argument started in the camp between Jermaine and Selena on Day 15, which resulted in some participants stating that they felt intimidated by his actions. The programme's producers had to enter the dump and discuss, along with the other members of the group, whether Jermaine should remain on the programme. Jermaine himself offered to voluntarily leave the programme, but the producers and the other participants decided to keep him. This was criticised in some reviews; one of which called Jermaine "a loud mouthed moron".

External links

• Dumped at Channel4.com