The Slum: BBC hits peak 'poverty porn' with new reality show

For three weeks, the contestants will live cheek-by-jowl in one large Victorian building in the East End

The series has a contemporary political resonance. (Getty Images)

It’s the ultimate in poverty porn TV. Families will battle to avoid the dosshouse in a new BBC reality show which invites contestants to live in an “immersive” recreation of an East End slum.

The Slum, set to air on BBC Two, will investigate Victorian poverty by inviting families, couples and individuals to “experience the tough living and working conditions endured by the millions that made up the urban poor in Victorian Britain.”

For three weeks, the contestants will live cheek-by-jowl in one large Victorian building in the East End, divided up into “modest dwellings”.

Designed to recreate the overcrowded atmosphere of an authentic 1860s slum, there will be “workshops” a “slum shop” and a “doss-house” containing “make-shift beds for those who haven’t scraped enough together to pay their weekly rent.”

The BBC promised: “They’ll experience the tough living and working conditions endured by the millions that made up the urban poor in Victorian Britain. In a world with no safety net they’ll be expected to earn enough to put food on the table, pay their rent and keep the roof over their head.”

Participants will eke out a living selling flowers, food and soap to modern-day Londoners. But they are not expected to face the threat of cholera and rickets like their predecessors. A basic element of sanitation will also be provided.

The series has a contemporary political resonance. Kim Shillinglaw, BBC2 Controller, said: “At a time when questions about poverty and welfare provision still preoccupy us today, this ambitious series will bring us face to face with the shocking truth of just how little money many of our great-grandparents lived on, reveal the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience required to survive in The Slum, and raise provocative questions about what kind of safety net the poorest should have.”

The BBC is seeking East End participants, whose families may have lived in slum conditions. The BBC said: “As the Victorian community rubs shoulders with modern London; how will today’s East End react, as it’s confronted with the harsh realities of the past?”

The series is produced by Wall To Wall, the company behind The 1900 House, a Channel 4 historical reality show, which asked a modern family to live in a modified house for three months and emulate the way of life of the late Victorians in 1900.