In episode one, for example, the mustachioed Dillermand uses his gigantic, striped organ as a guide for his dog – but quickly finds himself inundated with requests from his neighbors to take his pets for a walk too. At another point in the show, he is stuck floating in the air after balloons are tied to his groin.
In another episode, he breaks a friend’s pot with his penis and needs to raise money to pay for it, and in a third, he uses it to steal an ice cream at the zoo. The opening montage of the show also shows him using his genitals to keep a lion away from a group of children.
The show was generally received hilariously in Denmark and across the internet, with many praising it as an appropriate and joyful way to teach children about human anatomy.
A DR spokesman told CNN that most of those who criticized the program did so “without even (having) seen the program, because it has not yet been released”.
“Now the vast majority here in Denmark are … mocking the few critics,” added Sarah Cecilie. “Hundreds of thousands are supporting ‘John Dillermand’ now.”
“In Denmark, it is now a huge success, and children are watching in large numbers,” she said, telling CNN that 200,000 people watched the first episode.
In the online description of the program online, they claim that while Dillermand’s genitals put him in embarrassing situations, they can be used for good, once he accepts that it is different.
DR is the oldest and best known broadcaster in Denmark and was a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union. The network is funded by the taxpayer, making it the Danish equivalent of the BBC or PBS.