Spy: TVNZ causes stir with raunchy PVC bikini in Filthy Rich promo

Emma Fenton in Filthy Rich. Photo / TVNZ

TVNZ has been heavily promoting its upcoming multi-night series Filthy Rich and the sexy, glossy promos about a dysfunctional rich-list family have caused quite a stir.

The show's lead cast of Miriama Smith, Josh McKenzie, Alex Tarrant and newcomers Taylor Hall and Emma Fenton are taking centre stage, but stunning blonde Fenton has had the biggest reaction from fans.

Playing stripper Savannah, one of the illegitimate heirs in the show, Fenton appears in the promo in a black PVC bikini and over-the-knee boots - a barely there outfit that has her looking sensationally saucy.

It could be the most revealing outfit ever seen in a New Zealand promo and audiences have noticed. We understand TVNZ has received plenty of feedback.

Spy has been doing some digging, and learned 25-year-old Fenton took up pole dancing for the role, and the "club" scenes were filmed at the recently closed Las Vegas Strip Club on K Road.

All nearly didn't go to plan when production was thrown into chaos with the club's headline-making closure last year during filming.

Insiders tell Spy that production schedules were pulled forward at the last minute to block-shoot the remaining strip-club scenes in Las Vegas' last week. It was a grind for Fenton, who was in practically every scene - performing on a pole is a massive workout in itself and multiple takes were needed.

TVNZ has been keeping other set locations secret and it seems the move is justified. Spy has learned that in certain areas, some of Auckland's rich listers were concerned about the filming, going to pains to assure the production team the houses in the neighbourhood were the result of hard work and not obtained through ill-gotten gains, as the show's title might suggest.

Up until now it seems any scandalous behaviour by the cast has been kept strictly on set - we can only speculate it's because their characters get to do awful things to each other on camera that there were no tensions off-set.