A "near identical copy" of an Israeli game show called "Boom" that aired back in 2014 has recently emerged on Iranian television, The Times of Israel reports, citing Israeli TV Channel 12.
The original Israeli programme is essentially a trivia contest with a twist, where a team of participants strives to defuse mock "bombs" with four coloured wires – each wire represents "answers to a series of questions," as the newspaper puts it.
Giving a wrong answer and cutting the wrong wire results in a mock explosion that sprays "a foam-like material everywhere."
And now, footage of a trivia show reportedly aired on Iranian state television, which appears to bear an uncanny resemblance to "Boom" has surfaced on social media.
Commenting on this development, "Boom" creator Ido Rosenblum remarked that "legal or not, in the end of the day, people — both in Israel and Iran, enjoy game shows — with bombs."
"I never thought the words ‘Iran put its hands on an Israeli bomb’ would be so strangely flattering and amusing," he said.
Rosenblum also added that culture and entertainment has "the ability to bridge the gaps and maybe even reduce tensions, in the most unexpected ways."
While "Boom" had been sold to a number of countries, the Iranian version "was not officially licensed", the newspaper notes.