London, England, May 11, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The BBC’s latest attempt to take reality TV to a higher level has sceptics wondering if the program’s objectives will actually be reached.
The new series will feature four young professionals, who have volunteered to live in a monastery for two months.
The BBC’s religion and ethics department, which commissioned the series, insists it will be a serious documentary looking at the role that religion, God and spirituality play in one’s daily life, but the series is said to have strong elements of other well-known reality TV shows.
A spokesman said the program is an attempt to understand monastic life and make religion more accessible.
The production company, called Tiger Aspect, is currently recruiting volunteers. Volunteers need not be Christian but they should come from a "busy, modern, fast-moving, metropolitan environment."
The series is scheduled for broadcast next year.