Magnús Scheving works with the Minister of Health of the United Kingdom as well as appearing in the show “Europe’s Most Successful People” on the Discovery TV channel.
A film team organized by the British production company ITN Factual is currently based in Iceland and is working on a feature on Magnús Scheving for a program organized by the Discovery TV channel. The show is part of a series entitled “World’s Most Successful People” and consists of ten episodes of one hour each. Each episode deals with four individuals who have had success in different fields.
ITN Factual’s interest in Magnús is, of course, due to his success with LazyTown, which is quite popular in the UK. The story of the LazyTown adventure will be told, but we will also follow Magnús in play and work. In this way, Magnús will be taken to his hometown in Borgarnes and to Bifröst, where he is today giving a presentation about LazyTown. Then the LazyTown Studio will be visited and Magnús will be shown in his daily interactions with his colleagues and not least when he transforms into the Sportacus. Videos of him with his family will also be recorded.
“They felt that I belonged in this series, as both LazyTown and Sportacus are well known all over the world. It also helps that we stand for a good cause and people notice it,” says Magnús when asked about his appearance in the show.
“The film crew came here yesterday and is following me every step of the way until Sunday. They also followed me in the UK on Tuesday where I went to meet Health Minister Caroline Flint and then they’re even going to travel with me a bit around the world in the next few months.”
In collaboration with the UK
Magnús is currently working together with the British Ministry of Health to start a health initiative among British children. “There is a huge awakening in the UK about children’s health as it is needed. The ministry contacted me after doing a survey in schools about what appealed to children. But it was made compulsory in primary schools that there were bowls full of vegetables in every classroom for the children to grab. The kids didn’t eat much of the vegetables, and then they decided to put a picture of the Sportacus above each bowl, and then they were emptied every day.
From then on, the authorities contacted us and said that LazyTown was obviously working and wanted us to cooperate. The goal is for LazyTown to become some sort of symbol of the health initiative.
The Minister of Health has set up a committee, of which I am a member, to get this started, and I will spend the next six weeks preparing data for it. 170 organizations are involved in this effort, and we still don’t know what will happen because we have yet to get more people to cooperate with us. Then there is also the question of whether we can get along because the state is responsible for this and therefore the approval of many people needs to be obtained.”
Among those who followed the meeting between Magnús and the Minister of Health was the British television station BBC. “The media has shown great interest in being part of this health initiative. Among other things we are in LazyTown helping the BBC to launch a children’s radio station, so there are many things going on,” says Magnús, who is obviously well on his way to being named one of Europe’s most successful men.
Lots of views
World’s Most Successful People joins another series, Europe’s Richest, which was televised around the world last year, in 2006. It is estimated that approx. 50 million people saw those shows, according to ITN Factual. As with the previous series, Discovery Channel plans to air “The World’s Most Successful People” in prime time across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US, starting this fall.
Posted By
For decades, Ólafur (the Icelandic president) has made sure to exercise at least 50 minutes a day. "We usually start the day with a power walk with Sámi. But I think he started eating healthier food after we met, he now eats more vegetables and less wine bread," says First Lady Dorrit Moussaieff in an interview with Fréttatímann (News Time) when she is asked about her husband's physical condit...
This year, Children's Hospital Hringins will benefit from the community initiative of Radisson BLU Hotel Saga and Park Inn Ísland, both part of the Rezidor Hotel chain, who each year contribute to the initiative that aims to do good for the community. Yesterday...
The Sports Center in Kópavogur will have a LazyTown gym this winter for the youngest athletes. There, the children get to play and meet Sportacus at the end of the course. The LazyTown gym is for the children and there they get healthy exercise through games, d...
A large number of people attended the Norðurál Games, which were held in the Akranes Hall last Saturday. The games were one of the programs of the Year of Health, which Norðurál's staff participates in and continues this year, as an incentive for better health....