 The series was originally to be called "Dead Belgians Dont Count",  inspired by a deadly train accident in Belgium which received no  attention in the British news. This title was deemed too offensive  by Channel 4, and they renamed it "Drop the Dead Donkey". A  fortuitous decision, as it turned out, since one of the first  international stations to buy this series was the VRT, the Flemish  public radio and television.