Share

Dutch broadcaster to air cannibalism

Amsterdam - A Dutch broadcaster - renowned for testing the limits of good taste and the law - says it will air a segment in which two presenters engage in cannibalism by eating a small chunk of one another's fried flesh.

A BNN spokesperson said on Tuesday the men had each had a small piece of tissue surgically removed for the stunt - one from his side and the other from his buttocks.

Presenter Dennis Storm said in a press release that his motivation was a simple desire to know how human flesh tastes.

A teaser clip for the show Guinea Pigs, which airs on Wednesday, shows the two men looking on as a chef fries tiny pieces of meat in a pan.

In 2007, BNN aired a fake game show in which people who needed kidney transplants competed on live television for a supposedly terminally ill woman's kidney. The woman was an actress and the show was a hoax, but it was praised by some for raising awareness of the need for donors and went on to win an international Emmy award.

'Not expressly illegal'

Spokesperson Thijs Verheij said Wednesday's show is real, but acknowledged the broadcaster had lied about The Big Donor Show. He said the cannibalism episode had already been taped in front of witnesses.

"With the donor show we had a point to make, now there's no point," he said. "If at the end of all the buildup we said 'just kidding', we'd look like fools."

One of the country's best-known criminal defence lawyers is participating in the programme, and was quoted saying that cannibalism is not expressly illegal in the Netherlands.

However, "cutting and removing flesh from a healthy body without medical reason is illegal," Gerard Spong said. "Eating meat obtained in this way is (...) punishable."

BNN, which targets a youth audience, has previously aired programmes such as Shooting and Swallowing in which presenters used illegal drugs and performed sex acts.

Watch the teaser trailer here:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE