Picture the scene: BBC television executives are busy scratching their heads trying to come up with the Next Big Hit Show. They know what works: Reality programs like American Idol and Top Chef are just as popular in the UK as they are here. But singing has been done. Cooking has been done. Dancing has been done. Bachelors, desert islands, models—done, done, done. So what’s next?
“OK guys, we want something the public can really get involved in, but is also young. We need to target the teenage demographic.”
“Everyone likes food, even teenagers.”
Pause while the assembled minds work their magical alchemy.
“How about butchering?”
Thus, the BBC’s new Britain’s Young Butcher of the Year is launched, and the assembled creatives slap one another on the back for a job well done.
And according to the BBC Press Office’s website, “The search for Britain’s Young Butcher Of The Year will be followed by contests for other professions including hairdressers.” Expect to see America’s Next Top Cheesemonger and Dishwashing with the Stars arriving in the near future.
On one of our cable channels we have a show where people in all sorts of random professions compete against their peers to win a mentorship — I’ve seen party planners, wedding coordinators, chefs, hairdressers, fashion designers, choreographers, photographers, and florists that I can recall. No butchers, though. And these are single half hour shows per profession, not a whole series each.