THE ONLY WAY IS DUBAI: HUNT FOR NEXT TV STARS
▶ Reality TV show seeks residents of The Palm who don’t mind flaunting their lifestyles for the cameras
Affluent residents of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai have been invited to sign up for a reality television show, because they are perma-tanned, rich and not afraid to flaunt it.
A production company, London-based Arrow Media, issued a message to expat websites on Monday calling for individuals with “big personalities and an interesting story to tell” to get in touch.
The makers are working with network ITV, which broadcasts Love Island and The Only Way Is Essex, to develop the programme and want Britons who have moved or are about to move to the Palm, according to the British Mums website in Dubai.
The news has attracted a lot of attention on social media.
One comment read: “Time to move to the Palm. Palm Island? Real housewives of the Palm?”
A friend replied: “OMG this is right up my street!”
However, others were not so pleased. One user wrote on Facebook: “Oh joy, just what we need – a show about Jumeirah Janes and Palm Patricks.”
Miranda Davidson, a casting agent who has worked on films including the seventh instalment of the Fast and Furious films, which was filmed in Abu Dhabi, and Star Trek Beyond, which was filmed in Dubai, cautioned producers.
“You have to be aware about filming and casting in the Middle East. It is important to know about the lie of the land,” she said.
“They will have to be careful with alcohol, scenes with sexual content and they will have to be careful about showing any nudity.”
Ms Davidson said to stand a chance of being selected, potential cast members would have to be “interesting and uninhibited”.
Arrow is the company behind the series Ultimate Airport Dubai, which gained unprecedented access to Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world.
The media group also produced many TV series including Animal Fight Night, broadcast on the National Geographic Channel, and Don’t Tell The Doctor, shown on Channel 5.
Since construction of the Palm finished in 2006, thousands of families have moved in, with an estimated 26,000 living on the islands in 2015.
It will not be the first time that the Palm has been featured on a reality television show. Franchise series The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills and The Real Housewives of Cheshire have filmed episodes on the islands.
Celebrity socialite Paris Hilton searched for a new best friend in the Emirate in Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF in 2011.
Oh joy, just what we need – a show about Jumeirah Janes and Palm Patricks