Undertakers thank 'Six Feet Under' for putting new life into business of death

Ever since its invention, television has proved an effective recruitment tool for a variety of professions. Just as All Creatures Great And Small inspired a generation of vets and Cracker prompted a surge in applications for criminal psychology courses, so the ranks of lawyers were swelled by the popularity of This Life.

Now it is the turn of the funeral business. The success of the black comedy Six Feet Under is credited with inspiring more than 300 people to answer a job advertisement for a trainee embalmer at a funeral director's in Glasgow.

Within days of the Co-operative Funeral Service seeking to fill the junior post, they were greeted with a deluge of interest. "We think Six Feet Under has attracted more people to think about the profession and opened up discussions about funerals and choosing it as your career," said Phil Edwards, of the Co-operative Funeral Service. "It has helped a great deal; it was a great show."

The programme, which features a dysfunctional Los Angeles family operating an independent funeral home, is broadcast in Britain by Channel 4, and has won numerous television awards on both sides of the Atlantic.

Brian McLaughlin, the Co-op's manager for the west of Scotland and an embalmer for 40 years, said much of the interest was coming from people in caring professions, such as those working in nursing homes or with terminally ill patients. "They have experienced death and know what the business is about," he said. "People feel that they want to help people in their time of need."

Trainees are required to go on a two-year theory and practical course approved by the British Institute of Embalmers during which they are trained on how to preserve bodies for presentation to loved ones.

"We are looking for someone with scientific background and knowledge of the human body," said Mr McLaughlin.

"There are a lot of taboos in the industry and we want to break them down. It is a rewarding job and our staff know they are helping families at the worst time of their lives.

"We are holding more open days in funeral parlours and crematoria and people are going in and finding out about death and the death industry."