The Next Reality TV Stars: 'The Planners'

No this is not a fake news story a la The Onion. Produced by Dympna Jackson, who's previously produced the series "Reel History of Britain" and "Dragons' Den Online", "The Planners lifts the lid on the decisions behind planning approvals and refusals."

"In this observational documentary series, we'll tell the story through the eyes, ears and drawings of the Planners themselves - the people who interpret the rules, evaluate the proposals and make the recommendations," expains the series description. "These are the people who can make homeowners' dreams come true or bring them cashing down."

Here is the description for the first of the series' eight episodes:

"In this episode of The Planners, three national house builders target a greenfield site outside Winsford in Cheshire. They're proposing to build 540 new homes in the area but the locals aren't happy and will stop at nothing to derail the development. A Cheltenham couple erect a mock-up of their neighbour's extension to highlight their concerns to planners. A retired couple that lives in a conservation area in the heart of Chester submit a planning application to erect 17 solar panels onto their garage roof and a Cheltenham resident spends over £10,000 pounds on her planning application for a dropped curb outside her home."

We couldn't find any information on whether the planners might be shown in the U.S.