Brits beware, it's 'Back of Y'

By LOUISA CLEAVE

A pair of struggling musicians behind the Back of the Y Masterpiece Television series say they are shooting through to Britain after signing a deal with MTV.

Matt Heath and Chris Stapp have sold their seven-episode series of foul language, random violence, masturbation jokes and stupid stunts to the pay television channel.

The pair leave for England next month and MTV will begin exposing them to viewers through special appearances before the series is aired.

Heath said the programme had a universal humour in the same way as the Marx Bros: "People with dumb moustaches falling over. People hitting their head."

The television concept was devised as a way of promoting their band, Deja Voodoo.

The series screened late on TV2 last year with a warning that the content was likely to offend.

Heath and Stapp are putting the finishing touches to a one-hour special, Back of the Y Goes to Hollywood, for TV2 and hope it will also be picked up by MTV if the series goes down well with British viewers. The show's executive producer, David Rose, said MTV was seeking more series after the success of the fly-on-the-wall series The Osbournes.

The creative team are not saying what the deal is worth but Rose said they did not go into the MTV negotiations trying to make a huge sum of money.

"It's not a bad deal. It means the guys have an income for the first time this year."