Graham Norton has described his new ITV reality series, The Neighbourhood, as 'brutal but wholesome', promising viewers a fresh take on the genre. The show brings six households together to live on a specially built close in Derbyshire, where they compete to win £250,000 by voting each other out.
Norton, who has reduced his BBC chat show commitments, said the concept was unlike any other programme pitched to him. 'Usually it's Deal or No Deal meets First Dates,' he explained. 'What was so refreshing is that it was an idea I hadn't heard before. It taps into the minutiae of daily life we're all fascinated by.'
The scale of the production left Norton feeling like he was in a Hollywood film. 'It felt like being in The Truman Show,' he said. 'They forgot they were in a game show. It became their whole world. You're not sure what's real and what's not – we saw people watering fake flowers.'
Challenges are themed around suburbia, including being pegged on a clothes line, building a garden shed while tied together, and sorting hundreds of gnomes. The exit process is equally harsh: a 'For Sale' sign is planted on the lawn, removal men arrive, and the household is gone instantly.
While rows occur, Norton stays in the background. 'I would say goodbye kindly as they stomped off to their removal van,' he said. One household of university students proved particularly popular, with Norton calling them 'sweet boys' and the show 'wholesome'. He added that the winning moment is 'the most amazing', though losers may later be 'spitting into a bucket'.
The close even features a pub called the Uppin Arms. In a light-hearted moment, one contestant mistook Stephen Mulhern for Ant or Dec, highlighting the show's blend of real and surreal elements.
