Dutch 'anti-social' net reality show cancelled

Tokkies too feral

By Jan Libbenga • Get more from this author

Posted in Music and Media, 13th December 2004 12:08 GMT

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An experiment with a Dutch internet Big Brother reality show, which was to unveil the unorthodox lifestyle of an Amsterdam low income family, has ended after just two weeks. Not enough advertisers were prepared to sponsor the controversial show, which was produced by Dutch portal Ilse.

The Tokkies became unlikely reality TV celebrities in the Netherlands after a violent row with neighbours in a poor area of Amsterdam was featured in the media. Family members on both sides fought each other with baseball bats and at one point one of the flats was set on fire. Housing Corporation Het Oosten eventually had the family evicted. Since then, the Tokkies stayed with friends, in hostels and sometimes on the street. Prying TV cameras were nearby most of the time, creating yet another media frenzy.

Eventually The Tokkies were offered a house in the town of Zeewolde, where they would be under constant surveillance by a profusion of cameras and microphones and to be seen by millions of internet viewers. Unfortunately, the Tokkies TV show didn't pull the big crowds the producers had hoped for, and last week the show was cancelled, leaving Ilse and the production company with a reported debt of €200,000.

The Tokkies, however, remain hugely popular. Websites devoted to the family have sprung up almost everywhere and the clan can still be booked for parties. ®