The Format

Bendorm Bastards is a Belgian hidden camera comedy programme on the Flemish

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 TV channel 2BE. All characters are amateur actors and senior citizens

Old age

Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...

. The programme has a similar concept to Trigger Happy TV

Trigger Happy TV

Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...

, of which a Belgian version was broadcast on the same channel. In October 2010, a second season started on 2BE.

Awards

• In September 2010, the programme won the Rose d'Or
  Rose d'Or
  The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
  
   in Lucerne
  Lucerne
  Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
  
   in the category "comedy", and also "best of 2010".
• In November 2011 the series won an International Emmy Award in the category "comedy".

Criticism

The mayor of the Spanish town of Benidorm

Benidorm

Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....

 does not like that the programme is called Benidorm Bastards. He demands that "Benidorm" be removed from the title.

International versions

A Dutch version of the programme, announced on 15 April 2010, is broadcast by RTL 4

RTL 4

RTL 4 is a commercial television station in the Netherlands. It is the most-watched commercial station in the country, popular especially with those aged between 20 and 49. The station has three sister tv channels: RTL 5, RTL 7 and RTL 8...

 since 21 August 2010, recast with Dutch actors.

The United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 network NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 announced it would be creating an American adaptation, Betty White's Off Their Rockers, starring Betty White

Betty White

Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...

.

External links

• (Dutch) Benidorm Bastards on 2be.be
• (Dutch) Website of RTL.nl