Rasmus Wallbridge believed he was fulfilling his dream of making a comedy-horror film, but was instead recorded without his consent for a Danish reality show

NEED TO KNOW

• A comedian in Denmark was duped into filming a reality series inspired by The Truman Show, after being led to believe he was working on a comedy-horror film
• State-owned broadcaster TV 2 removed the six-episode series five days after its Oct. 26 premiere amid backlash from viewers
• The network and production company Drive Studios subsequently apologized and TV 2 has launched an investigation

A TV network in Denmark has withdrawn a Truman Show-inspired series in which a comedian was fooled into thinking he was making a movie, but was instead secretly filmed for months without his consent.

Rasmus Wallbridge thought he was working on a comedy-horror film with his friend, Martin Johannes Larsen, but he was actually being recorded by hidden cameras, The Times reported.

Without realizing it, he became the star of the six-episode reality series Alle elsker Rasmus (Everyone Loves Rasmus), which was broadcast on state-owned network TV 2.

More than 300,000 people viewed the first episode, which premiered on Monday, Oct. 26, before it was removed from streaming services five days later amid increasing backlash, local newspaper Berlingske reported.

The series is reminiscent of, and inspired by, the classic 1998 comedy-drama The Truman Show, in which Jim Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a life insurance salesman who’s unaware his entire life has been staged and aired on TV.

According to Berlingske, a total of 149 people took part in the prank.

Along with accusations of bullying, some viewers claimed producers had manipulated the show by recycling Wallbridge’s laughter in the final episode, when the hoax was revealed to the comedian, The Times reported.

TV 2 initially defended the series’ premise, Berlingske reported. However, Dorthe Thirstrup, the network’s program director, later made a public apology to Wallbridge, who took time away from his newborn baby to work on the project.

“The series should never have been made, and therefore it should never have been broadcasted,” Ulla Pors, chief content officer at TV 2, told the Ritzau news agency, per The Times.

According to the show’s director, a psychologist closely followed Wallbridge to ensure he was not filmed alone, while he also had the option of saying no to the series airing, per the outlet.

Kasper Fredshavn, CEO of Drive Studios, the production company that worked on the show alongside TV 2, told Danish broadcaster DR the company had given Wallbridge an “unreserved apology,” admitting things “went too far.”

Larsen also apologized for his role, as did singer-songwriter Malte Ebert, who removed a song included in the show from streaming services, The Times reported.

The network has launched an investigation into the making of the show, per Berlingske.

Wallbridge made a statement on Instagram shortly after the series was withdrawn, in which he thanked his fans for their messages of support and confirmed that none of his family and friends, including his manager and girlfriend, were aware of the prank.

He said he was told that Nordisk Film, the company he believed he was filming a movie for, would give him and Larsen the “opportunity for a development agreement on a film.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“For obvious reasons I have chosen not to continue with that collaboration,” he said, translated from Danish, before urging TV 2 to reconsider working on similar shows in the future.

PEOPLE reached out to TV 2 and Drive Studios for comment but did not immediately hear back.

#Comedian #Thought #Making #Movie #Secretly #Filmed #Truman #ShowStyle #Reality #Series