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Danish broadcaster apologises and pulls prank series after comedian’s secret filming
Comedian and actor Rasmus Wallbridge was secretly filmed for four months while believing he was directing a comedy-horror film, in a prank series that has drawn widespread condemnation in Denmark. TV2, a major public broadcaster, apologised, removed the programme from its services and opened an internal investigation.
The six-part show, *Alle elsker Rasmus* (*Everyone Loves Rasmus*), involved 149 people, including Wallbridge’s friends and celebrities, pretending to work on the film. The filming took place shortly after he welcomed a newborn and kept him away from his family; the broadcaster said participants should have known the recording’s purpose. TV2’s content chief said the series should never have been made or broadcast, while Denmark’s culture minister called it a clear breach of the broadcaster’s ethical guidelines.
In short
- Rasmus Wallbridge was secretly filmed for four months.
- 149 people helped stage the fake film production.
- TV2 apologised, removed the series and launched an investigation.
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The case for
A carefully planned prank can be defended as a form of comedy if the deception is limited, participants are protected and the person filmed is treated with care. Supporters might argue that the large cast and sustained fictional production created an unusually ambitious comic premise, and that broadcasting it could have been justified if Wallbridge had later been able to give informed consent and the material had not caused undue harm.
The case against
Secretly filming someone for months under a false premise can undermine their privacy and trust, particularly when it keeps them from a newborn and family. Critics can argue that a comic payoff does not justify exposing a person to prolonged deception, and that a public broadcaster has a special duty to follow clear ethical standards and protect people involved in its programmes.
Explained simply
TV2 is one of Denmark’s major public broadcasters, funded to provide television and other services to the public. Like other broadcasters, it has editorial and ethical guidelines governing how programmes are made and how people featured in them are treated.
Rasmus Wallbridge is a Danish comedian and actor. The programme involved people close to him and well-known figures pretending to help make a comedy-horror film, while he believed the project was genuine.
The case has raised questions about consent, privacy and the limits of hidden-camera entertainment. It also matters because TV2 is a public broadcaster, and Denmark’s culture minister said the programme breached its ethical guidelines.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Danish comedian is tricked in Truman Show-style prank for FOUR months – sparking fury and seeing series pulled”.