Information AboutDumped |
''Dumped'' is a Television Programme which started on September 2 , 2007 and will air nightly until September 5 2007.1 It involves 11 contestants living for three weeks on a rubbish dump next to a Landfill site near Croydon , Surrey .2 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 of the programme was '''''Eco-Challenge'''''.3 FORMAT 11 participants, who were not initially informed of their task, must live on a purpose-made rubbish dump adjacent to a working Landfill site for 21 days after being left equipped only with a sleeping bag, drinking can and one roll of lavatory paper each.4 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. All contestants were ordered to wear Kevlar gloves, protective boots and face masks when looking through the rubbish.5 Every person working on the programme was given Tetanus , Polio and Hepatitis vaccinations for their safety. CONTESTANTS The 11 contestants who participated "represented the complete spectrum of public opinion on environmental issues".6 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. PRE-SERIES PUBLICITY Described as Channel 4 's "biggest marketing campaigns of the year", ''Dumped'' was promoted via various methods.11 Advertisements for the programme appeared on websites such as Yahoo , The Guardian , New Scientist , The Daily Telegraph and MSN . Television adverts, using the 1998 single Delta Sun Bottleneck Stump by Mercury Rev , featured people performing everyday tasks such as Bathing whilst on the landfill. Posters featuring the programme's tagline, ''"Living off the landfill"'', were displayed across Britain and others appeared on the London Underground . Some Bus Shelters within London featured posters which were made out of rubbish, and September 2 edition of The Sunday Times featured a biodegradable bag wrap to promote the programme. REACTION Viewing figures The first episode of the programme received just 2.4 million viewers, a 10% of the audience, compared to the television premiere of '' The Queen '' on ITV1 which was watched by an average of 7.9 million people and attracted a 36% audience share.12 '' Coming Down The Mountain '', also airing at the same time on BBC One , 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 ''.13.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.14 Both programmes were beaten in their slot by BBC One's ''Traffic Cops'', which attracted 5.5 million and a 25% share of the audience. Reviews James Walton, of The Telegraph , 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.''"15 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.16 However, Channel 4 has played down these allegations, stating that the programme could not be filmed on the real landfill and that they have been "careful not to mislead". REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS Dumped at Channel4.com |
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