Hat Trick gains global demand for sells Rich House Poor House
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Editor
| 01 October 2019

Leading independent distributor Hat Trick International has sold both the finished series and format versions of its critically-acclaimed series, Rich House Poor House to a raft of international broadcasters.

The factual format follows two families from opposite ends of the wealth divide as they trade places to find out if money really does buy happiness. In each episode, one family from the richest 10%, another from the poorest 10%, trade homes, budgets and lives for a week, following each other's spending patterns and weekly schedules. The two families don’t meet until after the swap and after a week in each other's homes, they discover they have common ground even though they're worlds apart financially.

Originally produced by Hat Trick Productions for Channel 5, it is now a co-production with Hat Trick’s sister company, Emporium Productions.

The series has proved to be a ratings hit in the UK and The Netherlands and has been picked up as a finished version by Medialaan in Belgium, AMC for Central Eastern Europe, Virgin Media Television for Ireland, Sky Italia in Italy, SBS in The Netherlands, TVNZ in New Zealand and Polsat in Poland.

It has now been commissioned by Medialaan in Belgium, ProsiebenSat1 in Germany (now in its third series), Polsat in Poland (two series) and Nelonen in Finland. Meanwhile, SBS in the Netherlands has now commissioned three series of the show, totalling 46 episodes. Sales for the finished version of the Rich House Poor House have also been secured by ITV in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Commenting on the success, Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, said: “Rich House Poor House has been a fantastic success in the UK, capturing a defining zeitgeist of inequality in modern Britain, an issue prevalent in many countries around the world. Looking at both ends of the financial spectrum, the series examines the very human issues of how we live together, how we spend our time, what our dreams and priorities are and whether money really makes you happy. These themes are of course universally relevant, and it is exciting to see how the series is being met with the same enthusiasm and interest worldwide as it receives in the UK.”