It’s been going for 18 years, has branched out as far as Athens, Melbourne and Cheshire, and now the globe-spanning behemoth of a reality TV show The Real Housewives is finally coming to London.
The brainchild of St Louis, Missouri-born Andy Cohen, the American reality TV franchise that started in Orange County in 2006 will air in the UK capital next year, it was announced at Hayu FanFest in London last month.
There are now 11 series around America of the docu-soap that shows the personal and professional lives of affluent women in various cities, with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills raking in the most viewers (the 43rd most watched reality TV show on Netflix this year by hours). The show’s portfolio of 21 international editions includes the first British instalment, The Real Housewives of Cheshire, which premiered in 2015 and has aired for 17 series.
The show’s host and executive producer Cohen, who has roots in Poland, Russia, and Lithuania, also hosts the late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, featuring guests from politics and pop culture, and boasts a Primetime Emmy Award.
“I’m out to make interesting television,” Cohen told the i newspaper of Real Housewives. “The shows are the result of the combination of women who are incredibly opinionated and dramatic on their own, with or without cameras.”
The Real Housewives of London will air in 2025 on Hayu, a reality TV subscription streaming service which streams Bravo shows outside America.
Managing director of Hayu, Hendrik McDermott, told Variety: “It makes sense that such an iconic location in the UK – a core Hayu market – would feature into our strategy to further amplify our offering with original content that super-serves loyal fans.”