It's the sort of headline that, in April at least, has you reaching for the calendar to check it isn't the 1st of the month. Fox TV has apparently commissioned a reality TV series called Someone's Gotta Go, which is about making people redundant on live TV. Fox is describing it as "the Apprentice meets the Office". As one's a comedy and the other a joke, it's an alarming prospect.

Of course, it is an inevitable step, however tasteless. This recession has already produced more column inches than any other. In fact, it's difficult to overstate the media's role in this economic crisis. Back in 1991, few people would have taken seriously a complaint that the media had talked the economy into a recession. This time round it's a view held by many business leaders.

Redundancies are a part of any recession. But an attempt to turn them into part of the media fanfare sits uncomfortably. As any amateur TV critic can see, the most successful reality TV shows are the ones furthest removed from reality. The Apprentice may be built entirely around a weekly sacking, but in both its characters and plot, the show is so far removed from the reality of business, that only Sir Alan banging on relentlessly about cost control makes the boardroom scenes credible.

Details of the precise format for Someone's Gotta Go haven't been revealed, but according to US entertainment magazine Variety, the idea is that each week employees in a small firm that needs to downsize get to rummage through the HR files—complete with salary information—and then vote to decide who should be given the sack. It will be interesting to see if any managing directors feel confident enough to throw their hat in the ring with their fellow employees.

As yet there are no reports of anyone commissioning Someone's Gotta Settle, a follow-up show based on the employment tribunals that are sure to follow.

Richard Cree

Click here to read previous comments

What do you think?

Send us your views