A Dutch TV show which features a 'dying' woman choosing a patient to receive her kidneys has been revealed as a hoax.
The show's 'donor' was actually an actress, which the three people competing to receive the organs were real transplant patients who knew were in on the hoax.
Producers of 'The Big Donor Show', which was show on TV on Friday, was made to highlight the shortage of Dutch organ donors and to put pressure on politicians to change the law relating to organ donations.
"We are not giving away a kidney here, that is going too far even for us," presenter Patrick Lodiers said at the moment when the fake donor was apparently about to reveal her choice of patient. He later said said it was "reality that was shocking" because about 200 people die each year while waiting for a kidney in the Netherlands, and the average waiting time is more than four years.
After the show, a producer revealed at a press conference: "We have only done this cry for help because we want to solve a problem that shouldn't be a problem."
The show caused much controversy before it was revealed as a hoax. Those blasting the show included the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who said could damage the Netherlands' reputation.
