UK TV and Radio News

Frank Skinner is set to present a BBC programme on television's strong language. He is making a special news show on taste and decency - believed to be prompted by the prank calls to Andrew Sachs that led to the resignation of Russell Brand and the suspension of Jonathan Ross.

The BBC Panorama special is due to air in late January or early February, shortly after Ross returns to BBC1 after serving his three-month suspension. Reports suggest that the news and current affairs programme will feature an interview with Ross.

Skinner has been criticised in the past for his provocative style of humour, including a Euro 2004 episode of ITV Fantasy Football special which featured a sketch in which models posed as Sven Goran Erikson, then England manager, having sex with his girlfriend Nancy Dell'Olio.

BBC sources insist Skinner is well qualified to make a documentary about taste, pointing out that he recently dropped swearing from his act and has written eloquently about the need to use bad language sparingly.

Skinner has interviewed officials at the media regulator Ofcom, as well as producers and executives from the BBC and rival broadcasters, including ITV chairman Michael Grade who has called for a crack down on swearing on television and Julian Bellamy, head of programmes at Channel 4. 

Channel 4 will screen an alternative Christmas message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, in a move that has provoked widespread condemnation.

President Ahmadinejad's address will focus on spiritual messages of seasonal goodwill, but also contains an attack on bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist powers.

The speech is being promoted as an alternative to the Queen's traditional 3pm speech, but will be broadcast at 7.15pm.

Channel 4's decision has been condemned by human rights groups, MPs and Holocaust memorial charities.

Stephen Smith, director of the Holocaust Centre, said the president's message of peace was deceptive, describing him as a wolf in sheep's clothing. This message of so-called peace needs to be treated very carefully.

The Israeli Embassy has branded President Ahmadinejad's Christmas message a sick and twisted irony. Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor said: In Iran, converts to Christianity face the death penalty. It is perverse that this despot is allowed to speculate on the views of Jesus, while his government leads Christ's followers to the gallows. In its search for ratings and shock factor, Channel 4 has lost its ethical way.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell joined the attack, and called on the broadcaster to pull the plug on this criminal despot, who ranks with Robert Mugabe, Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and the Burmese military junta as one of the world's most bloody tyrants.

Philip Davies MP, a Tory member of the culture select committee, said that the address was completely unacceptable on every level. His previous comments don't strike me as being in tune with what most people feel at Christmas time. He is an offensive man and the last person you would want to use for a Christmas message. Channel 4 have lost sight of what a Christmas message should be. They are trying to be controversial for the sake of being controversial, and are treating their viewers with contempt by pretending this is not a publicity stunt.

Dorothy Byrne, head of news and current affairs at Channel 4, said that the network had a responsibility to give a platform to alternative voices, and said that the president's address will be preceded by a film mentioning his record on human rights, Israel, the Holocaust and the seizure of the Royal Navy sailors, to allow the public to make up their own mind.

President Ahmadinejad uses the speech to attack world leaders for ignoring the teachings of Jesus Christ, who is considered a prophet in Islam.

All Prophets called for the worship of God, for love and brotherhood, for the establishment of justice and for love in human society. Jesus, the Son of Mary, is the standard-bearer of justice, of love for our fellow human beings, of the fight against tyranny, discrimination and injustice. All the problems that have bedevilled humanity throughout the ages came about because humanity followed an evil path and disregarded the message of the Prophets.

Now as human society faces a myriad of problems and a succession of complex crises, the root causes can be found in humanity's rejection of that message, in particular the indifference of some governments and powers towards the teachings of the divine Prophets, especially those of Jesus Christ.

Jonathan Ross is at the centre of a silly Daily Mail story after giving a television interview in which he made a lewd joke about a pig in remarks to chef Jamie Oliver.

His comments - made a month before the Radio 2 'uproar' over Sachs - were included in an early version of a Channel 4 show Oliver will present on the British pig industry next month.

Earlier this month, staff at agency Off The Kerb, which represents Ross contacted the programme's producers and requested the scene be removed.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: Jamie interviewed Jonathan Ross, who owns pigs himself, as a possible segment for Jamie Saves Our Bacon, which looks at pig welfare. The programme is currently being edited, so we cannot yet confirm exactly what will make the final cut, but it [the interview] is currently not due to be part of the programme.

Tory sound bite nutter, MP Philip Davies, who sits on the Commons Culture Committee, said: Either what Jonathan Ross said during the making of this programme was appropriate or it wasn't. If it was appropriate in September, why are his representatives trying to suppress it now? If it wasn't appropriate in September, why has it taken them so long to do something about it?

James Corden and Mathew Horne revealed the BBC banned songs about Jesus on their new sketch show after the Jonathan Ross- Russell Brand prank row.

The Gavin and Stacey stars said the BBC have clamped down after ‘Sachsgate' and they were told to censor the script for Horne and Corden Have Come.

The pair are working on the comedy show in which young Christian characters were due to sing about Jesus.

But the BBC, keen not to provoke another frenzy of complaints, said the songs must be changed or removed. James said: We've got these characters called the YPC — the Young People's Church — and we had some songs they sing banned by the BBC.

The special will be shown on BBC1 at 10pm on Christmas Eve.

A daytime episode of Saturday Kitchen in which Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli swore while preparing his idea of food hell breached language guidelines, the BBC's Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) found.

Tonioli used the word 'f******' ('fucking'?), while making an oxtail dish, rather than his idea of food heaven.

The show's host James Martin, immediately apologised in the programme, which was broadcast on BBC1 on December 15 last year. Tonioli also apologised, saying: Sorry, sorry it's passion.

A viewer complained to the BBC and later to the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU).

The ECU acknowledged the use of strong language was not appropriate and breached standards - and mitigating factors were also outlined such as the show being live and the guest's disappointment at having to eat an oxtail dish. The ECU regarded the complaint as resolved on the grounds that the programme's response to the incident was sufficient.

The complainant did not agree and an appeal was made to the ESC. The ESC upheld the complaint about bad language, saying it was serious and should not have occurred. But it was satisfied that the actions of the programme team meant no further action was needed.

The ESC found that guests had been given a sufficient pre-broadcast warning about conduct and language and that the programme had been prompt to apologise. It noted Martin's comment at the end of the show, in which he said: ...and Bruno, while you are tasting that, you deserve to get hell for your potty mouth. Everybody at home, I can only apologise for the language of my guest. Of course, it's his Italian passion.

The BBC is planning to show a gory version of Hansel and Gretel on Christmas Day that shows dummies of dead children hanging by ropes.

The Royal Opera House production, which it has described as perfect family fare for everyone at holiday time will be aired at 3pm on BBC2.

Nutters have criticised the BBC's decision to broadcast it at a time when young children will be watching. The Royal Opera House has recommended that children younger than eight should not see the two-hour show, which culminates in a final scene in which the wicked witch is eaten by the captive children.

Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Aloud, said: There are lots of wonderful children's operas that would be delightful on Christmas Day. If we can't keep out such horrible, gruesome scenes I think we have come to a very sad state of affairs.

But knowing the BBC they will show great delight in broadcasting this, and saying that people like me are Mary Whitehouse fuddy-duddies.

Michele Elliott, founder of the Kidscape charity, described the decision to broadcast it at 3pm as absolutely appalling: Children could be really scared or even traumatised by watching this.

A BBC spokesman said it was within editorial guidelines and would be preceded by an advisory warning. She said it was no different from the darker elements in Roald Dahl or Harry Potter. This is on BBC2 not CBBC. It's a perfect family treat. I think modern audiences will see that it isn't a realistic drama, it's a stage production.

A spokesman for the Royal Opera House said: There is only one particular scene that's a bit gory, that shows dummies of dead children hanging in the fridge. Very shortly afterwards they all come alive and sing and dance and eat the witch.

She said it was recommending children younger than eight did not watch the live performance, but mainly because it was three hours of German opera.

The celebrity chef, who is noted for his frequent use of strong language on air, will face more stringent editing before his shows are broadcast.

Zoë Collins, the head of Fresh One Productions, the company owned by Oliver that produces all of his programmes, said that she would be much more mindful of the level of swearing in future, and gave a strong indication that the use of expletives would be reduced.

Collins, who is also an executive producer on Jamie's Ministry of Food , said that she could no longer ignore public opinion on the issue.

Collins also said that rescheduling programmes featuring bad language to a later slot of 10pm could be a possibility: We would possibly not be adverse to that and to having those conversations with Channel 4, but that is more a decision for the broadcaster .

I know that Jamie does not use that language to shock and get more viewers – the reality is he does use fruity language to express strong emotions. But it is us as programme makers and the broadcasters who need to be more careful about that in the future.

Her comments appear to contradict those made last month by Julian Bellamy, the head of Channel 4 programming, who insisted he would not reduce the amount of swearing in Oliver's programmes: We are not reining him back. I think we get the balance right with Jamie. Audiences know what to expect from Channel 4. They want us to push boundaries, challenge orthodoxies, take risks and support new talent even if that means our programmes are not to everyone's taste.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told MPs that the broadcast of the assisted suicide of a terminally ill man would have to be judged by Ofcom.

Speaking in Prime Minister's Questions, Brown said he hoped broadcasters would handle such matters with care but that programme Right to Die? , on Sky Real Lives , would be considered by Ofcom.

I think it is important that these issues are dealt with sensitively and without sensationalism and I hope broadcasters will remember that they have a wider duty to the general public. Of course, it will be a matter from the TV watchdog when the broadcast is shown.

He was responding to Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis who asked whether the Prime Minister regarded the programme as being in the public interest or simply distasteful voyeurism.

Brown acknowledged there were different views about assisted dying but stated he was opposed to legislation making it lawful.

He added: I think it is necessary to ensure there is never a case in the country where a sick or elderly person feels under pressure to agree to an assisted death or somehow feels it is the expected thing to do. That is why I have always opposed legislation for assisted death.

Update: No Complaints

13th December 2008. See article from telegraph.co.uk

The documentary featuring the final moments of a man who opted for assisted suicide received 12 complaints.

The Sky Real Lives programme, Right To Die?, was watched by 222,000 people, the channel's highest ever audience.

A documentary that appears to show the moment when a man dies after going through with an assisted suicide was strongly criticised yesterday by anti-euthanasia campaigners and Mediawatch-UK.

The film, which is being screened on the Sky Real Lives channel tonight, seems to show the moment when 59-year-old Craig Ewert, who had motor neurone disease, died. It is believed this would be the first time the instant of the a person's death in an assisted suicide has been shown on British television.

Both the documentary maker, Oscar winner John Zaritsky, and Sky insisted that the film, Right to Die? - which is being shown at 9pm - is an important contribution to a vital debate.

Ewert, a retired university professor from Harrogate, Yorkshire, travelled to Dignitas, the organisation in Zurich that helps people to die, because he did not want to spend the rest of his days in a living tomb.

The documentary shows Ewert and his wife, Mary, exchanging a last kiss. He says: I love you sweetheart - so much. Have a safe journey. I will see you some time.

Ewert is then given a liquid and told he will die if he drinks it. He drinks through a pink straw, then asks for some apple juice and music. Shortly before his eyes close, he says: Thank you.

Dr Peter Saunders, a director of the Care Not Killing alliance, branded the film macabre death voyeurism. This is taking us a little further down the slippery slope. It seems there is a macabre fascination in this death tourism.

Dominica Roberts, of the Pro-Life Alliance, said the programme sent out the message that some people's lives are worthless , adding: It is both sad and dangerous to show this kind of thing on the television.

John Beyer, director of Mediawatch-UK, said: This subject is something that is quite an important political issue at the moment and my anxieties are that the programme will influence public opinion.

Barbara Gibbon, head of Sky Real Lives, said: This is an issue that more and more people are confronting and this documentary is an informative, articulate and educated insight into the decisions some people have to make. I think it's important that broadcasters give this controversial subject a wider airing.

Terminator 2 is one of the greatest modern day Sci- Fi films. Despite the fact that this film is a sequel, for people like me in their late 20's, this film was our Star wars . It spawned all manner of merchandise, gave Arnie his finest hour, and changed the face of onscreen special FX forever (in fact a lot of ILM's work since hasn't looked nearly as good).

However, all things aside, this film was (unbeknownst to most) ever so slightly REDUCED in certain content for the UK market (really trivial seconds). This was until 1997 when the extended cut was released on VHS (the T-1000 edition), to coincide with the factious Judgement Day of August 29th, since then all DVD releases have featured the extended cut in some way, shape, or form.

However, Last night, ITV 2 showed the original theatrical release, featuring all 17 seconds of the BBFC / VHS missing bits, yet had none of the SPECIAL EDITION footage (the CPU operation, John teaching the T-800 to smile etc).

Thinking it may have been the US Pan and scan TV version, as it had a VERY NTSC (never - the - same - colour), grainy feel to it. Which unlike the superior PAL format we use here in the UK, looks flat out shit when broadcast. Strange.

Comment: Censored for language and violence

11th December 2008. From Gavin

ITV2's print wasn't pan and scan - it was a widescreen broadcast. Also, the US TV version would undoubtedly be censored for language and violence, and this showing had both those factors.

The BBC was plunged into another bit of bother after Chris Moyles appeared to suggest Poles make good prostitutes.

It emerged that the DJ told listeners to his Radio 1 show: If you're Polish you're just very good at ironing...in my experience prostitutes make very good cleaners.

Poles living in the UK have now launched a petition demanding an apology for the offensive and nasty comments, which they claim are racist.

Receiving 32 complaints so far, the BBC defended the presenter saying his words had been misinterpreted. A BBC spokesman said: Chris was poking fun at ridiculous and unfair stereotypes, and making a nonsense of generalisations based on nationality. At no point did he say that Polish people were involved in prostitution – he separately joked that prostitutes were good at fixing cars and ironing.

Jan Mokrzycki, president of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain, said: The BBC should really do something about it and make sure the man does not offend large numbers of their listeners.

Update: Apologies

6th December 2008. See article from marieclaire.co.uk

Moyles subsequently issued a statement in the wake of the remarks, attempting to placate those angered by his asides.

I didn't mean to link Polish people and prostitution in the way that has been suggested, but of course I realise that some people have taken it that way and to those people I'm sorry for the unintentional offence, said Moyles .

BBC presenter Stephen Nolan issued a live on-air apology yesterday after asking whether the victims of human sex trafficking enjoyed their work.

The TV and radio star caused supposed outrage for his remarks made during an interview with a spokesperson from human rights group Amnesty International about the international sex trade in young girls and women.

Amnesty's Fiona Smith had been explaining to the presenter how human trafficking was big business throughout Northern Ireland and the UK in general.

However, she was taken aback when the presenter, speaking on his BBC Radio Ulster Nolan show, asked her:

Would you not say that these girls enjoy the sex? She told him that the victims of human trafficking had to endure being raped multiple times a day because they had not consented to sex and were being used as slaves.

She was speaking following a police operation in Belfast last week in which two victims of human sex trafficking were rescued.

Nolan later apologised for his remarks as it emerged that listeners had complained to the BBC about his comments.

He said: I got confused earlier in the show when I asked if these women ever enjoy their job and if they enjoy the sex. Of course they don't enjoy if if it is forced upon them and I just want to say sorry.

Torchwood actor John Barrowman exposed himself during a live radio/webcam broadcast at 8.15pm on Sunday.

Although the programme was on Radio 1, pictures were also relayed to online listeners via a webcam.

And while Barrowman's genitalia were not actually shown, the crude comments which accompanied the incident made it clear what had happened.

The actor, who plays Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood , was appearing on The Switch , presented by Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac.

He was wearing a helmet after being pushed around the studio in a wheelbarrow. Grimshaw said: You're famous, we're told, for getting your willy out in interviews. Is this going to happen today? Should Annie be careful?

Barrowman asked: Is the webcam on? When told it was, he declared: All right, I'll get it out for you then, no problem. The webcam had been swiftly covered up but listeners heard Annie Mac screaming: Oh my God! as the other two were heard laughing.

Barrowman was heard seconds later saying: I didn't take the whole thing out, but I got my fruit and nuts out. He also exclaimed: I can't believe I've just done that.

A BBC spokesman yesterday admitted that the show had overstepped the mark , adding: We acknowledge this and apologised at the end of the live programme. Barrowman issued his own apology for any offence his behaviour had caused and promised it would never happen again.

ITV has apologised to viewers after a Histon footballer was shown naked during FA cup coverage. Cameras were allowed inside the football team's dressing room following their victory over Leeds United in the second round.

During the third round draw a camera shot of the changing room revealed one man nude, reports The Sun.

I couldn't believe it, said one viewer. When Histon's name was pulled out of the hat they went live to see the players' reaction to the third round draw. One was stood there with absolutely nothing on - it was hilarious. Not at all what you expect to see on telly on a Sunday afternoon.

The broadcaster also said sorry after strong language from fans was overheard during the match. We apologise to viewers for this incident which was out of our control, said a spokesperson.

Millions of viewers tune in every week to BBC's Springwatch , fronted by Bill Oddie. It came as a shock to many when the presenter used rather direct language when narrating sexual congress in the natural world.

Describing a mating scene between two sparrows, Oddie  said: The female is asking for it – and getting it, basically. She is doing that wing-fluttering think like that as if to say: 'I am a baby, feed me'... [and] is getting quite the opposite. He concluded the piece by saying: That's a wing-trembler she's just had there.

An item on beetles reignited the sensitivities of some viewers. Describing the sexual congress taking place in front of viewers' eyes, Oddie abandoned euphemism altogether. He crash-lands on top of a likely looking lady – there's a bit of luck! One thing's for sure: this boy is horny!

Then, as the male fought off a competing suitor for the right to mate, Oddie went into character, adopting the part of the female and saying in a high-pitched voice: Come on big boy, come and get it. Oh, be gentle with me!

A few viewers reacted with predictable outrage. One man complained: I am sick to death of the constant innuendo being offered by Bill every time a scene of mating appears.

It isn't funny or witty... just downright embarrassing when you are watching it with children. For example, being asked by my 10-year-old daughter: 'What does horny mean, daddy?' when watching mating beetles isn't right.

Another viewer said: This is schoolboy sniggering, behind-the-bike-sheds type humour and it's out of place in a programme that is otherwise marvellously educational for all age groups.

The BBC commented that many viewers endorsed the "light-hearted view" of Springwatch and Oddie. The programme is always looking at new, creative and entertaining ways of bringing nature to a wider audience. Storytelling is one of many ways of doing this. No offence was intended.

Strange Days is a 1995 US action film by Kathryn Bigelow

The BBFC provided the following justification for their 15s of cuts to the DVD:

The already reduced rape-murder scene in Strange Days was also found unacceptable on video, where the murder was further reduced to remove sexualised images of forcible breast exposure in a medium which could permit the repeated viewing of such scenes out of context. The scene was designed to convey the dangerous pleasures purveyed by 'snuff movies', but it seemed to the Board to have come perilously close to providing those same pleasures itself.

But now Daniel reports:

From what I could tell, ITV4 recent screening of STRANGE DAYS was uncut, including the 2 seconds removed from the Point of View rape / murder for the 1995 theatrical release, though this needs confirmation.

Hopefully this means that the BBFC would now allow an uncut DVD release.

The National Secular Society invite you to write to your MP and suggest signing Roger Godsiff's Early Day Motion (no. 1586)  which criticises West Midlands Police for its behaviour over the Channel 4 Undercover Mosque programme. The matter is one of immense public importance going to the very heart of the Justice system.

The motion reads:

That this House welcomes the unreserved public apology given by the West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and the six figure libel settlement paid by them to Channel 4 over the Dispatches programme broadcast on 15th January 2007 which contained covert filming inside mosques in Birmingham and Derby; notes that the comments and allegations made by West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service had already been dismissed by the industry regulator, Ofcom; further notes that the individuals shown in the programme broadcast were using highly derogatory and racist language against a variety of non-Muslim groups which included Christians, Jews, homosexuals, lesbians and women and were in clear breach of existing legislation in respect of incitement to religious and racial hatred; calls on the Home Secretary to launch an immediate investigation into why the West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service chose to attack the programme makers at Channel 4 rather than investigating and prosecuting the individuals who were shown in the programme; and asserts that incitement to religious and racial hatred has no place in British society.

Gordon Ramsay has come under fire for showing a rabbit having its neck broken on his Channel 4 show, The F Word.

The chef was shown using ferrets to hunt for the creatures with his son before viewers saw the rabbit being killed.

Animal lovers have attacked the programme for showing footage of the death.

It comes less than a week after Ramsay claimed his eight-year-old son had accidentally pulled off a live rabbit's head during the same expedition.

Those comments and Tuesday night's show - which did not feature the incident involving his son - have provoked 'outrage' at Ramsay's behaviour.

The rabbit that was shown being killed on screen was put to death by one of the men who owned the ferrets. RSPCA officers have received calls from viewers expressing their concern about the episode. But the organisation said no laws had been broken.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: As part of the current series of Gordon Ramsay's F Word, Gordon features in a regular strand in which he sources and cooks new or unusual ingredients.

Within this strand he explored the viability of finding, hunting and eating wild rabbit, historically a widely-consumed food but no longer part of a mainstream diet.

The location of the shoot was private land where rabbits cause extensive damage. In this context Department for the Environment guidelines were being followed and control measures - including ferreting - legal and in place."

Listeners to BBC Radio 4's Today programme have accused the corporation of censorship after it announced that it would axe the show's online messaging board next month.

In a cost-cutting move, the BBC will encourage listeners to post comments instead on the Have Your Say section of its news website, which has no direct links to any BBC shows, from 2 June.

In a statement posted on the board, the BBC: We've thought long and hard before reaching this decision, but in the end we do not believe that providing two such similar services would be a sensible use of resources,"

A thread started by the board's moderator about the move has attracted almost 200 responses, many of them hostile.

Several point to the BBC's earlier move to stop contributors posting messages on subjects of their choice.

One said it was unwarranted and draconian 'censorship' by the BBC , while another added: The Today board was a means for the public to speak to each other rather than have information forced into their heads by government and the media. Well, that has been kicked to death now.

As with all of Radio 4's boards, the Today board has stressed that it is "for adults". Messages are not pre-moderated and are only checked if a complaint is made about them.

However, the Have Your Site section of bbc.co.uk/news vets messages on several conditions, including language, prejudice, illegality or commercial gain and these strict conditions have moved several Today listeners to complain about the move.

Channel 4 showed Commando last night and it looks as though it was uncut. I notice from your site that the BBFC have passed it uncut but I don't think it is available to buy on DVD. [the Blu-ray release is said to be uncut though]

Bennett's death was longer and the tool shed fight was complete with second circular saw been thrown and the arm being chopped off.

It good to see TV companies starting to show longer versions and good for channel 4 who always had the balls to show full versions and look like being back to their usual selves!

The most charitable interpretation of the reaction of Anil Patani, the Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, to the Channel 4 documentary Undercover Mosque is that he was in a state of deep denial.

The programme recorded preachers at the Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham making remarks that were not only bigoted and full of hate but also bordered on incitement to murder. Abu Usamah, one of the main preachers, was shown saying: Osama Bin Laden, he'
s better than a thousand Tony Blairs, because he'
s a Muslim ; Allah has created the woman, even if she gets a PhD, deficient. Her intellect is incomplete ; and advocating that homosexuals should be “thrown off” mountains. Mr Patani'
s reaction? To refer the programme makers to the Crown Prosecution Service for inciting racial hatred.

He also referred the programme to Ofcom, the TV regulator, sending out a press release as he did so. Mr Patani'
s press release claimed that those featured in the programme had been misrepresented and that it had undermined community cohesion. Those claims were blatantly false, as the Ofcom investigation itself made crystal clear. But why on earth did Mr Patani make them?

...Read full article

Pop star Madonna has caused another upset - by swearing during a live broadcast on the BBC. The star was heard uttering 'fuck' twice during a Saturday airing of Radio 1's Big Weekend.

She performed a number of tracks during her 40 minute set. Madonna introduced her track Hung Up to the Maidstone crowd, saying: You guys are going to have to start fucking it up out there 'cos I need to feel some love. I'm going to do an old song. But not too old. Fuck the present. Let's live in the past. She said.

Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe apologised shortly afterwards.

Back in August 2007 I wrote a defence of the Undercover Mosque programme and, among many reasonable responses, I came in for the now obligatory charges of Islamophobia, neocon activism and, of course, racism. This kind of thing is standard these days if you state your opposition to the idea that hitting 10-year-old girls is reasonable, that women are lesser beings then men, that killing homosexuals is wrong, that killing apostates is unacceptable, and that all Muslims supposedly hate the kuffar. All of those views were propagated by the preachers who were recorded in Undercover Mosque, a diligent documentary made in difficult circumstances. And yet the West Midlands police not only attempted to prosecute the filmmakers but also, having failed in that absurd endeavour, reported the documentary to Ofcom.

...Read full article

The Crown Prosecution Service and West Midlands Police will apologise in the High Court today for wrongly accusing a Channel 4 film of faking an exposé of Islamic extremism.

The producers of Undercover Mosque , a Dispatches investigation that showed preachers predicting jihad and calling for the murder of non-believers, have also accepted a six-figure libel settlement reported to be £100,000

The programme, screened last January, showed footage gathered at a number of mosques in the West Midlands using hidden cameras. It included one preacher who praised the Taleban for killing British soldiers.

Another, Abu Usamah, a preacher at the Green Lane mosque in Birmingham, was filmed saying: If I were to call homosexuals perverted, dirty, filthy dogs who should be murdered, that is my freedom of speech isn't it?

However, instead of pursuing a prosecution of the preachers, police and the CPS began an investigation into the producers, accusing them of selective editing and distortion. The film-makers were accused of undermining community relations.

The police took the highly unusual step of referring Dispatches to Ofcom, the media watchdog.

Ofcom threw out the complaint. It found that the programme had accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context. It was a legitimate investigation, uncovering matters of important public interest. Each quote was justified by the narrative of the programme and put fully in context.

Hardcash Productions, which made the film, joined Channel 4 in a libel complaint against the police and CPS over the “distortion” claim.

West Midlands Police and CPS will apologise unreservedly for comments that they accept were incorrect and unjustified. They said that there was no evidence that the broadcaster or programme-makers had misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity”.

Kevin Sutcliffe, deputy head of current affairs at Channel 4, said: This is a total vindication of the programme team.

Eastenders scenes in which a love-cheat was drugged and buried alive by his wife have been criticised by the BBC's complaints unit.

The corporation's internal watchdog said the storyline involving the characters Max and Tanya Branning caused unintentional upset among a segment of the audience.

The BBC had previously defended the Easter holiday episodes after they prompted more than 150 complaints.

They claimed they had taken "great care" to flag up the nature of the episode before it was broadcast.

Regulator Ofcom is investigating the shows, in which Max was eventually let out, after 118 viewers complained.

Jonathan Ross has wound up nutters with some boisterous sexy banter with Gwynet Paltrow.

Ross said he wanted to 'fuck' married mother of two Gwyneth Paltrow if his wife would give him permission.

His liberal use of strong language on his recorded BBC1 chat show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross prompted gasps from the audience and the interview tone left Ms Paltrow speechless and looking shocked at times.

The astonishing language – thought to be the first time a major film star has been spoken to in such a direct sexual way on television– has been heavily criticised by the nutters of Mediawatch UK and an MP.

Tory MP Philip Davies said Ross'
s undignified remarks called into question the BBC'
s role as a public service broadcaster, particularly as he is reportedly paid £6million a year of licence fee-payers'
 money: Mr Ross likes to use inappropriate language in an attempt to be outrageous but the question is, should licence fee-payers have to pay for it on a public service broadcasting channel? My view is that they should not have to. I believe this issue should be raised with the BBC by the select committee when we have our next meeting with them.

The Sunday Express pointed out that, although the programme airs at 10.35pm, it is available during the day through the online iPlayer service.

The interview with Ms Paltrow was broadcast a week ago last Friday. Ross talked about her two young children, Moses and Apple, and inquired if she was thinking of having another child by asking her: Maybe having sex again soon?

A startled-looking Ms Paltrow responded: With you?

Ross then replied: Christ yes. I will phone my wife and if she gave permission, I would fuck you. Clearly you are gagging for it.

Broadcaster Michael Aspel, a guest on the same programme, spoke about his days presenting Miss World and Ross asked him if he had 'fucked' a contestant.

Mediawatch UK director John Beyer said: Clearly the BBC is not regulating this programme or monitoring the language being used, which is unacceptable and unnecessary and degrading. With the iPlayer system, the 9pm watershed is meaningless.

Ms Paltrow'
s Los Angeles publicist Steve Huvane said: Gwyneth very much enjoyed her appearance on the show and the joking was all in good fun. She was not offended.

In the Line of Fire is a 1993 US film by Wolfgang Petersen (Columbia/TriStar)

Thanks to Martin

I noticed during Friday's late night TV showing (00:50) of the Clint Eastwood film In the Line of Fire on ITV 2 that the previously cut scene of John Malkovich killing the bank teller and her room-mate at their home was uncut. This meant the fairly graphic depiction of 2 neck-breaks, sound effects included.

The film is showing again on ITV 2 on Tuesday 20th May @ 23:05 and Wednesday 21st May @ 21:00.

Hopefully ITV got the nod from the BBFc that these cuts would now be waived

Cuts of 8-10s apply to both 1993 cinema and 1994 video versions. The same cuts spec was implemented slightly differently for different versions.

From IMDb :

• The UK VHS and DVD versions remove close-ups of the bag over Al's head during the opening sequence.
• Frank's shooting of the second bad guy on the boat is also cut - but only on widescreen prints - to remove the blood cloud. On the VHS pan and scan version, the blood impact happens off-screen.
• The assault on the banker's housemate has been cut from the DVD as well, but remains in the VHS video with a toned-down impact sound. Shortly after this, the two neck breaks have been removed completely, despite the BBFC only requesting sound cuts.

Jesus Camp (Channel 4, Tuesday 6 May, 11.05pm).

The documentary Jesus Camp makes for pretty grim viewing. It focuses on the Kids On Fire School of Ministry's Christian summer camp where activities include praying for George W. Bush (with a cardboard cut out present for inspiration), telling young children that abortion is evil and that Harry Potter should be put to death as a warlock. The camp's leader, Becky Fisher, is particularly fond sharing her views on "the truth" and the purpose of the camp...

It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have... excuse me, but we have the truth!

As you can probably tell the film does not paint a very good picture of the camp or the evangelical side of modern Christian and the version screened on Channel 4 will have managed to persuade even more people that this is the only face of evangelical Christianity.

The documentary ran at 60 minutes (including adverts) some 24 shy of it's cinema and DVD runtime. Whilst the shortened version got across the general nature of the film and the shocking nature of the camp's indoctrination sessions it also turned it into a one sided argument. The voice of mainstream Chirstianity was nowhere to be heard. The cinema version features a chap called Mike Papantonio, a lawyer, broadcaster and Methodist who heavily criticises the camp and it's activities.

I'm not a religious man but I know plenty of people who are upset by what they consider to be the one sided representation of their religion perpetrated by a media that focuses on these uber-nutters. I don't agree with this view but it certainly does not help when a broadcaster takes, what I consider to be, a fair documentary and edits the balance out of it.

If you are interested in Jesus Camp and the terrible activities of the American Christian Right then you would be much better served to grab a copy of the DVD or, at least, wait until Channel 4 broadcast the full version.

A Christian party has lost a High Court bid to have its party election broadcast (PEB) repeated, after claims it was censored by the BBC and ITV.

Christian Choice said the BBC forced changes to its description of a Muslim group in a PEB aired in London.

The BBC said it expressed concern and Christian Choice responded by agreeing to change the form of words.

The judge said the request had been left "far too late" - although he did not think the PEB had been libellous.

Alan Craig, the party's candidate for London mayor, had argued the action breached his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights - which guarantees the right to freedom of expression.

Rejecting Craig's request for a judicial review, the judge, Mr Justice Collins, said he should have launched the legal challenge before the broadcast took place on 23 April. He said it was "perfectly permissible" for the BBC to take into account legal advice that the original broadcast might have been libellous - although he did not think it would have been.

But the judge said the BBC had indicated that if a legal challenge had been issued before the broadcast it would have backed down and let them publish as they wished.

Unfortunately that was not done, Mr Justice Collins added. He ordered Mr Craig to pay the BBC's £11,875 in legal costs.

Original version:

You may know about plans by a separatist Islamic group to build Europe'
s biggest mosque next to the Olympics site in West Ham. I think it'
s a bad idea that will bring division and I'
m glad moderate Muslims support my stance in opposing it.

Censored version:

You may know about controversial plans by an Islamic group to build Europe'
s biggest mosque next to the Olympics site in West Ham. I think it'
s a bad idea that will bring division and I'
m glad some Muslims leaders support my stance in opposing it.

A new trend seems to be upon us. Showing BBFC "UNFRIENDLY" versions on TV. In the past few weeks, several of my favourite films have been shown on TV in their COMPLETE uncut glory. One of them ( Die hard with a vengeance ), at a ridiculously early time (9pm on a saturday!) this film is rated 15 in the UK and is appallingly dubbed, cut, and generally fucked with. However UK gold seemed to think that everyone under 15 was safely tucked up in bed at 9pm. Buena vista on the other hand denied us the full version because they are money grabbing whores (don't think its fair to blame the BBFC, as they would have probably given the film an uncut 18 willingly).

So my ass was chapped on that. Then, Zone horror screens one of the most notorious films of its day, The Toxic avenger , COMPLETELY uncut! I grant you, it was at 3am, but surely children can get hold of a DVD / video 24/7? So why does Zone horror have the right to this, yet I've got to pay EXTORTIONATE postage rates to import my favourite films? Then buy a special DVD / video player to watch them?

Then last night ITV 2 screens the COMPLETE uncut Hot shots part deux ! ANOTHER film (ps, the first ones heavily cut too) I've had to import because of shitty narrow minded cynics, and money grabbing whores.

I don't however blame the BBFC. I know that sounds strange, but its true. All of these films (and countless others), could quite easily be released uncut in this country if the distributors would just listen to what the public want. Eraser would have done so much better on video if it was an 18 (as it was at the cinema). That film was famously boycotted by video renters because word got out VERY FAST about the appalling butcher style editing. Die hard with a vengeance would've sat quite happily as an 18, the first one was, and the widescreen video version of the second one was too. As for The Toxic Avenger that's never been submitted uncut, SO HOW THE FUCK DO THEY KNOW IT WONT BE PASSED UNCUT!

Starting to wonder if the censorship problem of old in the UK was not so much the BBFC (not denying they played their part), but the distributors and their whole MORE UNITS WILL SHIFT IF YOUNGER PEOPLE CAN RENT THEM philosophy. Distributors trust me, you can slap barb wire around the case, and coat it in strontium 90. Kids will still see it.

In short GIVE US OUR FILMS YOU MONEY GRABBING BASTARDS!

Film Four's recent screened Roger Avery's THE RULES OF ATTRACTION.

Though the original NC-17 version of THE RULES OF ATTRACTION was passed uncut for theatrical screenings in the UK, the subsequent video version was cut to remove a shot of Teresa Wayman cutting her wrist lengthwise with a razor because the BBFC considered it instructional depiction of a potentially lethal suicide technique. The shot in question only lasts a few seconds, so the distributor removed it and then slowed down the remaining footage to cover the gap left by the deleted shot and allow the Harry Nillson song 'Without You' to play as it does in the uncut version. As a result the BBFC list a substitution cut of 1 min 34 seconds, the total amount of footage slowed to accommodate the cut.

The BBFC's intervention did not really lessen the power of this crucial scene, but unfortunately when the film was screened recently on Film Four, whoever prepared the film for broadcast misunderstood the technical aspects of this cut, and instead removed the 1 minute 34 seconds the BBFC appeared to mandate deleting the suicide scene in almost its entirety. Accidental though it seems to be, it' a crippling cut, but I'm sure a few helpful e-mails sent in Film Four's direction could sort this out.

MPs have blocked a bill that would have banned the advertising of junk food and drinks to children. The Food Products (Marketing to Children) Bill aimed to make it an offence to promote "less healthy" foodstuffs to children.

Introduced by Labour MP Nigel Griffiths last year, it would also have introduced a 9pm watershed for television advertising of unhealthy food. However, the bill failed at its second reading in the House of Commons.

On 1st January Ofcom introduced a ban on television adverts for foods high in fat, salt and sugar during shows aimed at under-16s.

A London mayoral candidate is taking the BBC and ITV to the High Court for censoring his party Election Broadcasts in the run up to the May 1 elections.

The Christian Choice candidate, Alan Craig, has instructed the Christian Legal Centre to file papers this morning at the Royal Courts of Justice after BBC and ITV officials instructed him to remove parts of his Party Election Broadcast which was aired on Wednesday evening.

Cllr Craig, a long-standing campaigner against the 'mega-mosque', due to be built in Newham close to the site of the Olympic Games, originally described the organisation behind it, Tablighi Jamaat, as 'separatist'.

However, BBC and ITV officials responsible for supervising the Broadcasts instructed him to moderate his views and change this description of the Islamic organisation if he wanted it aired.

Cllr Craig claims not only 'political interference' by the broadcasters, but says such action breeches his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects freedom of speech.

According to the Christian Legal Centre, Cllr Craig changed the word to “controversial” under duress. Late in the day ITV insisted that the agreed word “controversial” should be applied to the mosque plans not to the Islamic group. Cllr Craig's objections to the mega-mosque, however, have consistently been related to the nature of the Islamic group behind the project - the plans have not yet been published.

Cllr Craig said: BBC and ITV officials, none of whom were lawyers to our knowledge, clearly instructed us to 'tone down' our views and change the sense if we wanted the PEB broadcast. The legal language of 'libel' was mentioned by the BBC, and in the case of TV, we were forced to go back to the studios at the last minute to record a censored version of the PEB.

I am advised that libel is a defamation of an individual, and no-where in the broadcast do we defame individuals. My comments are reasonable and moderate and do not contradict the Racial and Religious Hatred Act. The BBC and ITV are not entitled to limit free speech and I look forward to the judge ordering them both to broadcast my original message.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and director of the Christian Legal Centre, said: Providing that the content of an election broadcast is within the law, the BBC and ITV should enable the electorate to hear the unedited views of candidates and allow them to make up their own minds as to whether they agree or not.

The Christian Legal Centre will be calling for a Judicial Review of the BBC's and ITV's decision, and ask the judge to order, as a matter of urgency, the unedited Party Election Broadcast on both channels. The case will be heard next Monday when Cllr Craig will be represented by leading Human Rights barrister, Paul Diamond.

Update: The Censored Word

29th April 2008

Original version:

You may know about plans by a separatist Islamic group to build Europe's biggest mosque next to the Olympics site in West Ham. I think it's a bad idea that will bring division and I'm glad moderate Muslims support my stance in opposing it.

Censored version:

You may know about controversial plans by an Islamic group to build Europe's biggest mosque next to the Olympics site in West Ham. I think it's a bad idea that will bring division and I'm glad some Muslims leaders support my stance in opposing it.

Wednesday 28 May 2008, BBC: Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story

With Julie Walters starring as Mary Whitehouse and Hugh Bonneville playing her arch-enemy, BBC Director-General Hugh Carleton Greene, Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story will bring to life the battle for Britain's morals that raged in the Sixties.

Julie Walters said: I am very excited to be playing Mary Whitehouse, and to looking at the time when she attacked the BBC and started to make her name.

The 90-minute film was written by Amanda Coe,

You might think that, at the moment, the television regulator Ofcom doesn't know whether it's coming or going on the question of whether it's permissible to speak on TV the slang words for, well, coming and going. This week it turned down complaints about the use of the F-word in The Catherine Tate Christmas Special, but, a few days earlier, had forced the BBC to make a long on-screen apology for sexual and scatological language during the Live Earth concerts.

Viewers may well wonder, according to taste, what the fuck is going on or, alternatively, what the f**k is going on?

...Read the full article

Mark Thompson, the Director General of the BBC, has warned broadcasters against becoming overly-cautious in their reporting on Islam for fear of causing offence to Muslims.

Speaking at Westminster Cathedral Thompson, a practising Catholic, said there was a growing nervousness about discussion about Islam and its relationship to the traditions and values of British and Western society as a whole.

He said that the BBC and other major channels have a special responsibility to ensure that debates about faith and society and about any religion should not be foreclosed or censored.

In an effort to demonstrate that his remarks were not targeted solely at ensuring that Islam received journalistic scrutiny, Thompson also referred to his decision to broadcast Jerry Springer, The Opera despite an avalanche of complaints from Christians unhappy at the depiction of Jesus in the satire.

There is no point having a BBC which isn't prepared to stand up and be counted; which will do everything it can to mitigate potential religious offence; but which will always be forthright in the defence of freedom of speech and of impartiality, he said.

The BBC has received complaints after Anne Robinson asked a contestant to feel her breasts during a celebrity charity version of The Weakest Link .

TV wine-taster Olly Smith felt Robinson's breasts after referring to the 63-year-old presenter as a full-bodied, expensive red.

The BBC stressed it was a playful and light-hearted exchange. But 16 people complained about the incident, which was broadcast at teatime on Saturday. The programme was watched by 5.5 million people, the BBC said.

The exchange came after Robinson told Smith that she did not like being called "full bodied". She then invited Smith to feel her breasts, who declared them to be "absolutely fantastic".

Comedian and writer Ben Elton has accused the BBC of being too "scared" to allow jokes about Islam.

Elton, who co-wrote critically acclaimed sitcoms such as The Young Ones and Blackadder, said the BBC's reluctance to run material that might offend Muslims was based on fear rather than morality.

Speaking in an interview with Christian magazine Third Way , Elton was asked if too much deference was shown to religious people: I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the community have about provoking the radical elements of Islam.

There's no doubt about it, the BBC will let vicar gags pass but they would not let imam gags pass. They might pretend that it's, you know, something to do with their moral sensibilities, but it isn't. It's because they're scared. I know these people.

Elton said it was difficult to use even common sayings: I wanted to use the phrase 'Muhammad came to the mountain' and everybody said, 'Oh, don't! Just don't! Don't go there!'.

It was nothing to do with Islam, I was merely referring to the old proverb, 'If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.' And people said, 'Let's just not!' It's incredible.

Elton's comments were refuted by the BBC. No subject is off limits for BBC comedy, a BBC spokesman said: [ ...BUT... ] The treatment should not cause harm or offence.

Children's casual use of strong language is being fuelled by TV programmes such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks , the head of the largest teaching union has said.

Pupils are increasingly using sexist and offensive language, making comments about classmates' sizes or the perceived sexuality of a teacher, Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, told the union's annual conference in Manchester yesterday.

He said that quiz shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks and They Think It's All Over fuelled the casual use of bad language. Programme makers and celebrities need to reflect on what's taking place. Too much cruel behaviour can be seen on television programmes.

The children's secretary, Ed Balls, will tomorrow tell a second union conference of plans to launch a campaign to protect teachers from cyberbullying. It comes after a rise in the number of pupils taking embarrassing pictures and video on their mobile phones of teachers and putting them on websites. He will say he has asked the Cyberbullying Taskforce, which until now has focused on the impact on children, to look at what measures can be introduced to protect teachers as well.

The BBC has apologised to viewers for a Good Friday edition of EastEnders in which a character was apparently buried alive in a coffin. The broadcaster did not wait for the TV censor Ofcom to investigate the programme, which sparked 167 complaints.

Viewers said the scenes of philanderer Max Branning being placed unconscious into a coffin by his wife Tanya and her lover, were inappropriate for a pre-watershed programme watched by families.

The BBC said: The burial is in no way glamorised or glorified, rather we see that when pushed to the edge, Tanya’s behaviour becomes out of character, and indeed that it’s Tanya herself who ultimately suffers because of her actions. Once again we are sorry that you did not enjoy these episodes.

The scenes were carefully filmed and edited in order that Max’s ordeal was in the main implicit, rather than explicit, whilst still retaining their powerfulness. The character ultimately escaped alive.

A scene in BBC One soap EastEnders which showed a character being buried alive has prompted 167 complaints.

The episode, shown at 8pm on Friday night, showed character Max Branning being buried alive in a coffin by his wife and her lover.

Viewers complained that it should not have been shown before the 9pm watershed because children could find it disturbing.

The BBC said the number of complaints was proportionately small. EastEnders is known for its dramatic and gripping storylines and, from a total audience of 10 million, the number of complaints is relatively small, a spokeswoman said.

In the episode, viewers saw Max's wife, Tanya, spike his drink, causing him to collapse. She and her lover, Sean Slater, then drove Max to woodland where they buried him alive in a coffin.

The BBC has backed down over allegations of anti-gipsy racism in children's TV show Basil Brush .

Bosses admitted that an episode which caused offence was "inappropriate" and have told police it will not be shown again.

Officers have now decided no further action will be taken. Police have not yet told the BBC formally about the outcome of their inquiries but a source said: The episode was made six years ago. The BBC looked at it and took the view that it's not terribly offensive but it's old enough that it probably wouldn't be made in the same way if done today.

The episode was repeated on the digital channel CBBC on February 21 this year and has been released on DVD.

It features Basil and his friend Mr Stephen, who succumbs to a gipsy spell that makes him attractive to women. Having just moved into a flat above Basil's, Dame Rosie Fortune – who casts the spell – offers him heather and pegs at his front door, which he rejects.

She also offers to tell Basil his fortune and he replies: I went to a fortune teller once and he said I was going on a long journey. When Mr Stephen asks what happened, Basil replies: He stole my wallet and I had to walk all the way home.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: This complaint has now been concluded to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

There had been no arrests.

Northamptonshire police are investigating a stuffed fox after receiving a complaint about an episode of the Basil Brush Show in which he tells a joke about a gipsy fortune teller.

The fortune teller predicts that Basil is about to embark on a long journey. Too true, because, as Basil reveals, the man then stole my wallet and I had to walk home.

But Joseph Jones, the vice-chairman of the Southern England Romany, Gypsy and Irish Traveller Network, did not find the joke very funny and thinks that the BBC should withdraw the episode: To perpetuate this myth about gipsies and travellers is wrong. If they are going to keep showing this then I look forward to them bringing back the likes of Alf Garnett to the screen.

See full article from the Northampton Chronicle

In a national newspaper column, MP Anne Widdecombe said the move by police to investigate the allegation made a "nonsense" of race laws.

She said: The idiot complainants are the gypsies who have involved Northamptonshire Police, who have in turn approached the BBC. It is good news to know that there are no burglaries or assaults in that county because, otherwise, the police would not have found the time to investigate this rot. I don't actually object very much if someone wants to point out to the BBC that this sort of portrayal is a bit of a silly stereotype, but that is a world away from treating it as a criminal offence. The police should have told the complainants to go and get a life but instead, solemnly logged it as an offence of a racist nature.

Hate crime officers are currently investigating the complaint as "a racist incident". Insp John McKinney said: When a person feels offended and makes a complaint of this nature to our hate crimes unit we are duty bound to investigate it appropriately with the appropriate level of resources.

Fascinating snippet on TV yesterday. During the ITV early evening news, there was a trailer for a breaking news item about the pastor of the church attended by Barack Obama having come out with some controversial remarks (basically saying America had asked for 9/11).

In particular he was shown saying "God BLEEP America". Naturally, I assumed that he'd said "fuck".

On the late news, the full story was shown, and the unbleeped word turned out just to be "damn".

I don't think "damn" is too strong for pre-watershed use in the UK, and I'm hazarding a guess that the first clip might have reflected excessive sensitivity by the FCC if it was lifted directly from an American source.

It wasn't even as if the word, damn, was being used as a cuss. The minister was having a rant, but doing so in the context of a sermon, where he was really suggesting that God should damn America for collective sins against black people.

The BBC has been criticised for its supposedly "irresponsible" portrayal of binge drinking in its top dramas.

Baroness Coussins, a peer who sits on the Advertising Standards Authority council, claims the corporation is failing to show the negative effects of abusing alcohol in shows such as EastEnders and Holby City .

Speaking at an advertising conference, Baroness Coussins said: Holby City had doctors, no less, in excessive drinking scenes.  Where are the calls for BBC programming codes, or the equivalent in the commercial sector, so the consequences of irresponsible actions have to be shown?

In October, the Portman Group, which was set up by alcohol producers to promote responsible drinking, complained to media regulator Ofcom that an episode of the hospital drama Holby City had been "highly irresponsible".

And yesterday, John Beyer, of pressure group Mediawatch UK, pointed out that two of the most popular soap operas on TV, EastEnders and Coronation Street , are mostly set in pubs, adding: The Baroness has a point. But the question is, what are the broadcasters going to do about it?

The problem is that they never seem to want to do anything about anything other than to carry on with their own agenda.

He added: Soaps are so popular with young people and it is mostly young people with disposable income that are binge drinking.

A BBC spokesman said neither EastEnders nor Holby City set out to "glamorise" alcohol but intended instead to "reflect society". A spokesman claimed the corporation always tried to handle the issue "sensitively" and said it did in fact show the negative consequences of alcohol.

Channel 4's Dispatches editor Kevin Sutcliffe and the programme makers behind Undercover Mosque are pursuing a libel claim against West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

The documentary makers were cleared last November by media regulator Ofcom of allegations of misleadingly editing the Channel 4 programme about extreme Islamic preachers.

Undercover Mosque aired in January last year and featured footage filmed undercover in several mosques in the Midlands. The documentary featured footage of preachers calling for homosexuals to be killed, espousing male supremacy, condemning non-Muslims and predicting jihad.

Channel 4 announced today that Sutcliffe, and production company Hardcash Productions, have now initiated libel proceedings: The statements made by both the West Midlands Police and the CPS were completely unfounded and seriously damaging to the reputation of the programme makers.

The broadcaster also released a statement on behalf of co-claimants - David Henshaw, Andrew Smith and John Moratiel - from Hardcash Production: The statements made by both the West Midlands Police and the CPS were completely unfounded and seriously damaging to our reputation. We feel the only way to set the record straight once and for all is to pursue this matter through a libel action.

In August last year West Midlands police complained to regulator Ofcom about the editing of the Dispatches documentary. But Ofcom said the programme was a legitimate investigation uncovering matters of important public interest in a subsequent ruling in November.

The regulator also said there was No evidence that [Channel 4] had misled the audience and the broadcaster had accurately represented the material and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context.

Channel 4 said any payment of damages will go to charity.

Ofcom have received 43 complaints about Wednesday night's Brit Awards.

Most viewers who contacted the body about ITV1's live broadcast were upset by strong language.

Host Sharon Osbourne turned the air blue when comedian Vic Reeves took to the stage. Reeves appeared to forget which award he was there to present.

Osbourne accused him of being drunk, and yelled a string of obscenities. Reeves later blamed his confusion on a faulty autocue.

Most celebrities wasted no time getting stuck into the free alcohol at London's Earls Court. Comic Alan Carr admitted he was a bit worse for wear as he presented an award to Take That.

Double winners Arctic Monkeys also seemed well-refreshed and organisers cut them off mid-speech when they began poking fun at the Brits School.

The BBC has apologised for an innuendo-filled discussion on Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time last year.

Presenters made a string of jokes after an audience member asked for advice on the Rhodochiton Volubilis, colloquially known as the black man's willy.

The debate prompted some listeners to complain of racial stereotyping.

Producers initially defended the segment as "entertaining", but the BBC's editorial complaints unit ruled that use of the name was unacceptable. It said the discussion was potentially offensive in ways not fully appreciated when the matter was first considered. With hindsight, we believe it would have been preferable to omit the item.

During the discussion, which was recorded at the Chilcompton Gardening Club in Somerset last October, the panellists giggled as they discussed the plant. Bob Flowerdew admitted he had only ever seen one close up - and not that colour. Anne Swithinbank claimed: I've never seen one in my life...They don't really like the cold, as you can imagine. They shrivel up and look very unhappy.

At the time, producer Trevor Taylor went on the station's Feedback programme to defend the segment, saying innuendo had "been a part of Radio 4 for decades".

The editorial complaints unit did not agree with listeners who said it was inappropriate to air the segment at a time when large numbers of children might be listening, as youngsters only formed a small proportion of the audience.

More than 200 viewers have complained over an EastEnders episode this week that featured a violent knife attack on a 13-year-old boy.

Tuesday night's edition, which aired on BBC1 at 7.30pm, saw character Jay Brown lured into a football game where he was stabbed by a gang of youths.

At least 200 people have since complained to the BBC, while a further seven contacted media regulator Ofcom.

A BBC spokeswoman defended the storyline, saying it did not glamorise the use of knives: EastEnders has always tackled difficult issues and we acknowledge that some viewers could consider this storyline challenging.

However, we aim to reflect real issues and during this storyline the audience will see Jay's torment through to him deciding not to yield to peer pressure like his father did many years ago. This is part of a long-running storyline that in no way glamorises the use of knives, or portrays violence in a positive light.

A couple who tragically found their daughter hanging by her hairband in a freak accident believe she was trying to copy a stunt from her favourite cartoon series.

They tried desperately to save four-year-old Paige when they discovered her in her bedroom but were unable to revive her.

Paige had recently watched a scene in which a character was swinging around with what looked like a rope attached to his neck.

She was with her grandmother who said the programme was either Dora The Explorer or Go Diego Go .

Go Diego Go is about a boy who jumps, swings and sings in English and Spanish during his adventures.

Dora the Explorer features a young girl and her animal friends in a series of scrapes.

Both are shown on the digital channel NickJr, part of the Nickelodeon Group.