Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Leg up the career ladder? Intern is asked to collect popstar's sperm (and aid insemination) in new E4 spoof

 

Matilda Battersby
Tuesday 23 October 2012 22:29 EDT
Comments
An intern is made to hold up her 'boss' Joanna's legs to aid conception: a scene from E4 show the Work Experience
An intern is made to hold up her 'boss' Joanna's legs to aid conception: a scene from E4 show the Work Experience

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Interns might be doing rather more than just making the tea in businesses up and down the country. But the latest E4 spoof has taken the exploitation of the young and unemployed to rather more desperate proportions.

A young woman was made to collect sperm from Simon Webbe, a member of pop band Blue, because her boss wanted to get pregnant by him, and then asked to hold up the boss’ legs (following artificial insemination in the back of a taxi) in order to aid conception.

This was the most ridiculous task undertaken by interns at a fake London fashion PR agency Grade PR for a new Punk’d-style prank TV show, The Work Experience.

A documentary crew filmed the hapless interns each week during what they thought was a real work experience placement. Their boss, Joanna, who makes The Devil Wears Prada workplace look like a happy one, sets the interns on unreasonable task after another.

"None of them twigged at all, we couldn't believe it. Even though they were put in such bizarre situations,” former EastEnders actress Kate Miles, who plays the evil boss, told the Standard. "People are so concerned about how they are coming across they are not thinking about whether or not you are real.”

Speaking of the “outrageous” incident where an intern was asked to help her get pregnant by Simon Webbe, Miles said: “He hands her a package, then she holds my legs in the air in a cab to help me get pregnant."

Each of the interns actually gained a real leg up into the fashion PR world winning a month’s paid placement at a real agency.

The Work Experience starts tomorrow at 9.30pm on E4.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in