Endemol Shine Group has announced that The Big Benefits Handout has sold for the first time in Germany. Marking the format’s debut outside the UK, RTL has ordered a first series of the bold social experiment from Endemol Shine Germany. Originally created by Dragonfly, part of Endemol Shine Group, the series launched on Channel 5 in the UK earlier this year and investigates a potentially ground-breaking solution to one of the biggest questions of today – how do we get people off benefits?

The German series will see long-term families dependent on benefits given a cash handout of 25,000 euros. In return, the families must agree to sign off benefits, and see if one large cash sum can turn their lives around, with the support and help of experts along the way.