[James]

Oh, brother, BBC sets up in monastery
By Tom Leonard, Media Editor
(Filed: 07/05/2004)

Four young professionals are being sent to live in a monastery for a new television series, the BBC said yesterday.


The company producing The Brotherhood for BBC2 is particularly keen to recruit volunteers from media and advertising for the two-month experiment.

Although the series has elements of a reality show such as Big Brother, the BBC insisted it will be a serious documentary looking at religion.

The series was commissioned by the BBC's religion and ethics department.

"It's quite a serious attempt to understand monastic life as well as being a personal spiritual journey for those involved," said a spokesman. "We want to make religion more accessible by putting real people into a monastery to see if they can understand life inside."

In a letter to potential participants, Tiger Aspect, the series producers, write: "The idea is to take people away from our hyperactive, materialistic world and get them to experience a more spiritual approach to life."

"This is not tabloid TV. The series is a serious exploration of the role that religion, god, belief and spirituality play - or don't play - in our lives."

Volunteers do not need to be Christians but Tiger Aspect said it was looking for people from a "busy, modern, fast-moving, metropolitan environment".

The series, which was commissioned by the BBC's religion and ethics department, will be shown next year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...07/ixhome.html

[BusyBee]

With Cameron presenting!!!! What will they come up with next?

[Julia L]

Hmm, don't think I'll be watching that, somehow. Doesn't sound very interesting to me.

[Hooly One]

I agree Julia

[kaphc]

I actually think this sounds good - modern life is very busy and hectic these days and it would be interesting to see how peoples' values change once they step off the rat run and spend some time in a quieter, reflective environment.

[Julia L]

Yeah, but there won't be the same amount of entertainment - no mud baths, no parties, no funny drunk moments, no screaming arguments (well I don't think so, anyway, lol).