UK TV and Radio News

The Daily Mail have obtained a trivial sound bite from Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch-UK on the subject of a welcome party for X-Factor contestants:

A couple of weeks ago Simon Cowell was making out there wasn't going to be a re-run of the Rihanna and Christina Aguilera scenes last year.

But they have to take their responsibilities seriously -- because they are not at the moment. Party-time: The boys contestants when they were told they had Gary Barlow as their mentor

They also have a duty of care to the kids, not just on the show, but also those watching at home.

More than enough for a Daily Mail article of easy 'outrage' at X-Factor. The newspaper wrote:

The X Factor was embroiled in a fresh sleaze row after screening raunchy scenes from a contestants' drink-fuelled party before the watershed.

The ITV1 show was accused of not taking its responsibilities seriously after it featured scenes of bikini-clad youngsters getting drunk, kissing intimately and frolicking in a hot tub.

The footage, which was broadcast on Saturday at 8.15pm, was filmed over the summer during a welcome party for 186 contestants at the show's so-called Bootcamp stage.

Hours earlier, it emerged that one contestant had been involved in a pornographic video while another was said to have confessed to spending £ 30,000 on drugs in the past.

Critics attacked Simon Cowell and other show bosses for the raunchy scenes, which come just months after the furore over lewd performances by pop stars Rihanna and Christina Aguilera last December.

An ITV source said over-18s were given three drinks vouchers and those under 18 were allowed only soft drinks, adding: The bar and party were under strict supervision at all times.'

...Read the full article

Viewers of BBC1's Breakfast show were treated to a minor fracas involving the use of the word 'fucking'.

British actress Carey Mulligan, who stars in the new film, Drive , was on the Breakfast couch with her director, Nicolas Winding Refn. Asked about the violence in the movie, about a Hollywood stuntman moonlighting as a criminal getaway driver, he said it was a bit like fucking .

Presenter Bill Turnbull apologised and told the director to try and make the point without using that word .

The director, who apologised after being prompted by the show's presenters, continued:

Oh right... the violence is very much part of the sexual build-up...violence in itself in the movie is an illusion... it's unbelievable. The job is to make it believable. When you do that, the build-up is all about sex. It's all about the build-up.

A BBC spokesman said:

Unfortunately a guest used a swearword during a live interview on Breakfast. Bill Turnbull immediately challenged his language and both presenters apologised to viewers on air.

The Daily Mail writes:

Is nothing taboo?

We've seen death and drug-taking, now Channel 4 to broadcast graphic footage of sex-change surgery

In the latest of a series of shocking documentaries graphic footage of sex-change surgery will be shown in a programme following the lives of transgender people.

The Channel 4 show, Girls Will Be Boys And Boys Will Be Girls will follow seven transgender people's lives and the mixture of reactions they encounter on a daily basis.

The participants, who range from their early twenties to their fifties are all at different stages of their own transitions and are contemplating the next critical step in their journeys.

They are also followed as they go out together to pubs and shops and deal with people's reactions.

Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman said: Some of it's quite graphic, there is footage of a man in genital surgery.

The programme will be broadcast in the autumn.

Update: Recommended by Mediawatch-UK

31st October 2011. See article from thesun.co.uk

Campaigners Mediawatch-UK said:

Many people won't want to see any of this type of surgery. Some of these scenes may not be appropriate for broadcasting. It is vital that Channel 4 make it clear what viewers can expect.

Does the net's liberating power need to be defended from the traditional authorities that fear it? Jon Ronson's Esc & Ctrl will look at attempts to control the online world.

The rest of the series isn't filmed yet, so do suggest directions you'd like to see it take.

...See the video

The Daily Mail writes:

A new grossly offensive comedy will portray Lady Thatcher as a sex-starved Falklands War obsessive, and mocks her frail mental health.

Channel 4 is reviving controversial satirical comedy show Comic Strip , but is set to cause controversy with its portrayal of the former Conservative Prime Minister.

Lady Thatcher is shown as a Norma Desmond-type nymphomaniac obsessed with watching re-runs of the Falklands War.  It also mocks her relationship with beloved husband Denis - and shows her keeping his decaying skeleton in her cupboard.

The Comic Strip is being brought back by TV chiefs 30 years after its debut with a show depicting Tony Blair as a fugitive on the run from police, who ends up being seduced by the former Conservative leader at her countryside mansion. Thatcher is shown luring Blair into her boudoir, forcing him to dress in hunting attire, and exclaiming Kiss me Tony before seducing him.

Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, said: 

I think it is in very poor taste and people will feel quite angry...She is obviously quite elderly and frail and it is quite wrong to use someone's image in that way, it is certainly disrespectful. To project Lady Thatcher in that way is rather cruel to be honest...It is all in very poor taste, maybe they should consider whether it is appropriate to be screened.

Comic Strip: The Hunt For Tony Blair , will air on October 4.

Nutters have Complained about BBC's Torchwood over sex scenes featuring Captain Jack Harkness and his gay lover Angelo.

Thursday's show, in which Captain Jack (played by John Barrowman) seduced Angelo, reportedly drew hundreds of complaints from viewers.

According to the Daily Mail, more than 500 viewers showed their disapproval by complaining to the Beeb, calling the scenes pointless .

Some questioned the need for sex scenes, gay or straight, in a sci-fi show while others were said to be concerned that younger viewers would be 'shocked'.

David Turtle, from campaign group Mediawatch-UK, told the Mail: The BBC will say the programme is being shown after the 9pm watershed. But it doesn't alter the fact that the programme is watched by a lot of young people and is easily accessible on iPlayer at any time of the day.

A BBC spokesperson responded by saying: We felt the content was justified in terms of the context and character and within the expectations of regular viewers. We aim to depict relationships, whether heterosexual or homosexual in an honest and realistic way. These scenes are not meant to cause offence.

In fact the BBC had previously said that they would cut a scene showing Captain Jack sleeping with a barman:

It wasn't that it was a gay scene that worried people, but just the fact that it was such an explicit sex scene full stop, a source said. You can get away with scenes like that on American cable channels, but you can't on primetime BBC One.

Even though the show airs after the watershed, it has a lot of young fans who would have been shocked at the graphic nature of the sex.

So it seems that even cutting the scenes isn't enough for the likes of Mediawatch-UK

Update: Complaints Dismissed

3rd November 2011. See article from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom have dismissed 78 complaints against Torchwood on the subject of 'sexual material'. However Ofcom did not comment further on their decision.

The Daily Mail has such a way with words:

Channel 4 is to spark 'outrage' by airing a controversial comedy film about Muslim suicide bombers as part a season of programmes to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

In a move set to 'shock' TV viewers, the broadcaster is to show Four Lions , the 2010 film by Brass Eye comedian Chris Morris, just days before the memorials take place for the terrorist outrages in New York.

Insiders at the Channel 4 have revealed that Morris was looking to create even more controversy by trying to air the film on the actual day of the anniversary, but bosses at the channel have resisted this.

Four Lions is a comedy depicting the activities of a group of home-grown and incompetent British terrorists who plan to kill thousands of people at the London Marathon in a terror attacks, but end up bungling the operation.

Channel 4 will premiere the film alongside factual documentaries about heroes from the emergency services and a reconstruction documentary about the killing of Osama Bin Laden for the season of programmes.

A petition demanding a public apology from historian David Starkey has been circulated online after he blamed black culture for initiating the London riots, while controversially adding that in today's society whites have become black .

During his appearance on BBC2's Newsnight , Starkey said that a culture which used to be associated with black youths has permeated into other facets of society. His controversial comments included: A particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic gangster culture has become fashion and the black and white, boy and girl, operate in this language together. The whites have become black.

Hundreds of people have shared a petition on sites including Twitter and Facebook, demanding that Ofcom fine the BBC for the racial comments and that both the BBC and Starkey make a public apology.

The petition, which so far has 444 signatures, says: We, the undersigned, call Ofcom to fine the BBC for not challenging the racist comments made by David Starkey.

Twitter users have been commentating and debating on Starkey's comments. Many have been calling him racist.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy, a prominent presenter on Channel 4 News, also questioned whether the historian had lost it .

Update: BBC Response

16th August 2011. See article from dailymail.co.uk

The BBC has defended a Newsnight debate which prompted almost 700 complaints about historian David Starkey's offensive views.

Responding to the viewer complaints, the BBC said:

Whilst we acknowledge that some people will have found David Starkey's comments offensive he was robustly challenged by presenter Emily Maitlis and the other contributors who took issue with his comments.

Owen Jones particularly highlighted that many people listening would find the views expressed offensive and Emily provided further context making it clear that David Cameron had said this was not a race issue and that people taking part in the riots came from a range of ethnic backgrounds.

Update: Ofcom Complaints

17th August 2011. See article from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom have reported that they received 77 complaints in response to the Newsnight item with David Starkey.

Comment: Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society

20th August 2011. From secularism.org.uk

David Starkey is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society (NSS) who have come under pressure to withdraw David Starkey's honorary associateship.

Terry Sanderson defended the right of David Starkey to air unpopular opinions:

When the NSS challenged the laws of blasphemy a few years ago, we argued that people should have the right to voice unpopular opinions, even if they caused offence to others. I think that is an important principle for the NSS and one that we should support and stick to, even when the going gets rough.

David Starkey is not a spokesperson for the NSS and we are not spokespeople for him, he is simply a public figure who supports our objectives and agreed to be associated with them. Listening to the Newsnight debate, I didn't agree with everything that David said any more than I agreed with everything that the other two speakers said.

But the McCarthy-like pressure that permits only approved opinions to be voiced must be resisted. Voltaire's reported comment about not agreeing with what you say but defending your right to say it is one that takes courage to defend to the letter. There may be circumstances when an honorary associate might be drummed off the list -- but voicing a well-intentioned but off-beat opinion in an important debate should not be one of them.

Offsite: We're too easily offended

23rd August 2011. See article from independent.co.uk by John Kampfner

Free speech is a grisly vocation. A number of my assumptions about British society have been tested to the full since I became an advocate for this rarefied freedom nearly three years ago. An early lesson was that one should not confuse liberalism with open-mindedness. Another is that we're happy to listen to anyone, as long as they don't upset us.

The manufactured brouhaha over David Starkey's comments last week follows a well-trodden and wearisome path.

...Read the full article

Offsite: Wrong Type of Culture

25th August 2011.  See article from telegraph.co.uk by David Strakey

It's not about criminality and cuts, it's about culture... and this is only the beginning Condemned as a racist for his comments on Newsnight following the riots, the historian David Starkey speaks out against those who tried to silence him for confronting the gangster culture that has ruptured our society.

...Read the full article

A few Radio 4 listeners may have been shocked by the word 'fucking' on the Sunday morning newspaper review show, Broadcasting House.

The BBC apologised after the comedian Mike McShane swore live on a Sunday morning Radio 4 show.

McShane, an American and regular on the comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway , made the comment as he reviewed a story about race at around 9.58am.

He said: The thing about race in America is that black folks have always known more about white folks than white folks have known about black folks because black folks were cleaning their fucking houses.

He immediately apologised and was admonished by the show's presenter Paddy O'Connell who also warned him not to do it again. The live audience laughed but McShane realising his mistake immediately apologised for his language .

A BBC spokesman said: We apologise for any offence caused.

X Factor producers have been told by Ofcom to keep the new series clean in the wake of the nutter overreaction to sexy performances from Rihanna and Christina Aguilera last year.

Ofcom ruled in April the final was at the limit of acceptability for broadcast before 9pm for a family audience.

Ofcom have had talks with producers ahead of Saturday's opener to ensure there is no repeat of the nutter nonsense.

An X Factor source said:

There have been lots of conversations about making sure The X Factor stays a family show and doesn't become controversial for the wrong reasons. Ofcom made themselves very clear about what they expect, and the message they gave us was basically to cut the smut.

Ofcom is drawing up new guidelines on the use of 'racy imagery' on family shows and plans to publish them by the end of the year. The TV censor said last month:

The guidelines will be there to make sure broadcasters like ITV don't hover near the boundaries of harmful content to children.

This is what happened with Rihanna's performance on the show last year, where the broadcasting code was almost breached.

Ofcom confirmed it had discussed the guidelines with ITV.

A Daily Mail piece designed to provoke controversy for publicity's sake.

She's always been unafraid to shock, and taboos give her little pause for contemplation as she tears through them with her spiked fingernails, crushing accepted norms with stack-heeled boots.

But for all her gimmicks, Lady Gaga has still managed to (just about) stay on the right side of the taste boundary - she's been edgy rather than appalling.

Until now, that is, because in a short clip released from her forthcoming documentary Gaga by Gaultier , the Lady, in cahoots with the legendary fashion designer, has perhaps taken it too far.

The 25-year-old dressed up as a nun, while Gaultier donned priest's attire, before the singer kneeled on chair to be spanked the Frenchman.

It's a provocative image, but also frivolous, and in typical Gaga style, designed to provoke controversy for publicity's sake, rather than make any deeper point.

Gaga by Gaultier, will air on September 12 in the US but it is not yet announced for the UK.

The nutters of Mediawatch-UK have urged the BBC to introduced a TV style watershed for radio.

This was in response to Radio 4's Today programme repeatedly used the words bullshit and bastards during a recorded item. The words were spoken to illustrate a report about the abuse aimed at academics researching chronic fatigue syndrome or ME.

The item, introduced with no warning by regular presenter Sarah Montague, said researchers who suggested ME might be a mental illness had been subjected to a hate campaign. Actors used to read the e-mails from sufferers quoted: Those of you responsible for preventing us sick ME sufferers getting the help we need, wasting £5million on flawed bullshit, you will all pay.  Another said: How are you evil bastards going to explain away another piece of evidence? Sister station Five Live aired the same report but warned listeners beforehand.

As the BBC launched an investigation following complaints, Radio 4 insisted the words were essential and Today listeners could cope without a warning. The written version on BBC online did not mention the swearwords and neither did TV bulletins later in the day.

Mediawatch-UK said that was because television is banned from using swearwords before 9pm, while radio is freer to broadcast abuse at any time. Director Vivienne Pattison said that made no sense and the loophole should be closed. She said she frequently had to leap across the room to switch off her radio to prevent her children hearing words of adult content aired during the day.

Pattison said: The BBC is somewhat of a repeat offender on this issue. There isn't a watershed on radio and it's time we had one. Ofcom's research finds too much swearing is being broadcast. People don't like it.

Two Tory MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport select committee have backed the call for a radio watershed Therese Coffey was not even aware there was no watershed. She said: It strikes me as being inconsistent. There's no expectation of hearing that kind of language at that time and I'm sure people would have been shocked. Her colleague Philip Davies added: The lack of a watershed is an anomaly that needs to be addressed.

A spokesman for the Today programme said: E-mails including abusive language were included in the report to demonstrate the level of intimidation involved in the campaign. We felt this was editorially justified.

US film censors of the MPAA have said that ads for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Fox's X-Men: First Class on kids TV shows were approved for the specific times and places they ran.

The New York Times had reported that the Children's Advertising Review Unit had suggested that Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox may have gone against industry guidelines against the use of ads for PG-13 films during most TV shows targeting young children.

an MPAA spokesman said in a statement:

Generally, a few PG-13 rated motion pictures are considered by the Advertising Administration to be compatible with children's programs. In the noted instances, the Advertising Administration approved the advertisements for the specific time and placement in which they ran.

The Advertising Administration approves ads for rated films on a case-by-case basis, taking various factors into consideration, including not only the rating of the motion picture, but its content, the content of the programming with which it will be placed and the time of day in which the ad is run. The PG-13 rating is a strong caution to parents that they should investigate the motion picture before taking their young children; it does not necessarily mean that the motion picture is inappropriate for children under 13. Indeed, that determination is best left to parents who know and understand the sensitivities of their children.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has a Global Edition that condenses 4 US episodes into one programme. But this week, even the Global Edition didn't make it on to British TV screens nor catch up TV.

Blogger Chris Spyrou noticed it and brought it to the attention of the TV writer Graham Linehan, who asked Channel 4 about it. A tweet from Channel 4 Insider, the broadcaster's official presence on Twitter, called it compliance problems.

The full reason, tweeted a short while later, was this: We are prevented by parliamentary rules from broadcasting parliamentary proceedings in a comedic or satrical context.

The user @fiatpanda later uncovered this response to a Freedom of Information request from Channel 4, which stated:

Guidelines specify that no extracts from parliamentary proceedings may be used in comedy shows or other light entertainment, such as political satire. But broadcasters are allowed to include parliamentary items in magazine programmes containing musical or humourous features, provided the reports are kept separate.

The scene in question was David Cameron facing tough parliamentary questions about phone hacking being compared to anaemic questioning that occurs in the US version of parliament.

The BBC has cut a sex scene from an upcoming episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

The moment featured Captain Jack (John Barrowman) sleeping with a barman and is expected to be shown in the US on cable network Starz, The Sun reports.

However, the scene will be cut from the UK broadcast. A BBC spokesperson explained:

It wasn't that it was a gay scene that worried people, but just the fact that it was such an explicit sex scene full stop, a source said. You can get away with scenes like that on American cable channels, but you can't on primetime BBC One.

Even though the show airs after the watershed, it has a lot of young fans who would have been shocked at the graphic nature of the sex.

The BBC spokesperson added that a violent moment will also be cut later in the series and said:

The UK and US versions of Torchwood are slightly different. However, these differences do not change the story in any way and the strong storylines are first and foremost to the series.

Update: BBC statement

25th July 2011. Based on article from bbc.co.uk

Complaint to the BBC

We're received complaints from some viewers unhappy with reports that we have edited out a sex scene from the UK version of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

BBC response

It is not unusual for co-productions to have slightly different versions of a show to reflect its different audiences. For episode three of Torchwood, as part of the usual discussions between broadcasters and the production company, small potential edits in two intercutting scenes of gay and straight sex were discussed and made by production. This minimal edit makes little difference to the episode to be broadcast in the UK. Both scenes remain but run a few seconds shorter than the US version. In a later episode a sequence of gay sex is important to the story and therefore both the US and UK will show the same version.

Torchwood continues to be a series that will ask important questions of how we all live in today's society and the drama reflects life as we recognise it. The BBC and Starz have both been huge supporters of the writers' vision for the series.

The BBC has apologised after a radio presenter compared breastfeeding in public to him having sex with his wife in a restaurant.

James Hazell made his comments while hosting a debate about whether women should nurse their babies in public when a guest described it as the most natural thing in the world. He said:

Next time you are out having a meal at a restaurant, on the basis that it [breastfeeding] is the most natural thing in the world, I will come in there with my wife and then make love right in front of you.

Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, and that is fine, but there are a lot of natural things we don't do in public.

Hazell has come under fire from breastfeeding campaigners for his comments. A spokesman for the Breastfeeding Network said:

Babies get hungry and need to be fed. Breastfeeding is an entirely normal way to feed a baby and we're sure that Mr Hazell wouldn't want to hear a baby screaming out in public for want of a meal.

A BBC spokesman said:

We apologise if James Hazell's comments caused offence.

The comment was intended to stimulate a debate and give listeners an opportunity to discuss the issue openly.

Hell's Kitchen USA
ITV2, 18 April 2011, 21:00

Hell's Kitchen USA is the American version of the UK reality-style cooking contest which features members of the public working in a highly pressurised restaurant environment under the guidance of Gordon Ramsay.

Ofcom received one complaint about the frequency of the word fuck (or a derivative) in the programme. The complainant considered this to be inappropriate for a programme broadcast directly after the watershed. Ofcom noted that there were 47 instances of the use of this expletive in the programme. Eighteen of these were within in the first programme segment after the 21:00 watershed which lasted 11 minutes.

Ofcom considered this material raised issues that warranted investigation under the following Code rules:

• Rule 1.6: The transition to more adult material must not be unduly abrupt at the watershed….For television, the strongest material should appear later in the schedule.
• Rule 2.3 In applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context.

Ofcom Decision: Breach of Rules 1.6 and 2.3

Regarding context, Ofcom considered first the editorial content of the programme and the likely size, composition and expectations of the audience. Ofcom acknowledged that ITV2 is aimed at young adults who (ITV's research suggests) are less likely to be offended by the most offensive language than other age groups. We also noted that Gordon Ramsay has a well established reputation in broadcasts such as Hell's Kitchen USA for using the most offensive language and that, as a result, the audience might expect some examples of the most offensive language in his programmes. We noted the continuity announcement before the programme advising viewers of very strong language from the start and that the programme started at 21:00. Ofcom took into account these factors and ITV's explanation that the purpose of the extended montage [of challenging scenes with very strong language] at the start of the programme was to reflect the various characters participating.

However, this context was not, in Ofcom's view, sufficient to justify the potential offence caused. There were 18 instances of the most offensive language included in the first 11 minutes of the programme broadcast immediately after the 21:00 watershed. This was a significant concentration of the most offensive language and had the potential to cause considerable offence to viewers, especially those who may come across it unawares. Further, this amount of very strong swearing concentrated immediately after the 21:00 watershed in Ofcom's opinion would not have been in keeping with viewers' expectations – partly because the warning given to viewers before the programme began was inadequate to prepare them for this amount of very strong language at this time.

Ofcom was concerned that a very significant portion of instances of the strongest language (18 out of the total of 47) happened between 21:00 and 21:11. Irrespective of the target audience of the preceding programme or of ITV2 in general, Ofcom considered it was likely that children would still have been watching this programme segment given its close proximity to the watershed. Audience figures in fact show that 38,000 children under the age of fifteen did in fact watch this programme (6.6% of the audience). Therefore, Ofcom concluded that this amounted to an unduly abrupt transition to more adult, post-watershed material and Rule 1.6 of the Code was breached.

A man has been cautioned by police after making internet allegations about the Britain's Got Talent TV show, it emerged today.

An anonymous blogger caused a stir last month after claiming that Ronan Parke, a 12-year-old who did well on the show, had been groomed for stardom by Simon Cowell for two years.

Cowell called in the police after the blogger alleged Parke already had a management deal and had been moulded to appeal to the audience.

Today a Scotland Yard spokesman said: We can confirm that a 52-year-old man has accepted a caution under the Malicious Communications Act. There is no further police action.

A spokeswoman for Sony Music said: A man has now admitted responsibility for the wholly untrue blogs relating to Ronan Parke and the false allegations against Britain's Got Talent, Sony Music and Syco. He has admitted he has absolutely no connection with Ronan Parke, Sony Music, Syco, or Britain's Got Talent. He has apologised both via the police and directly to those involved and the matter will not be taken further.

The UK's TV censor Ofcom is to investigate the accuracy of Channel 4's recent documentary Sri Lanka's killing Fields following claims that it was misleading and misrepresentative.

British TV website TV Pixie disclosed that Ofcom would probe the program, presented by Jon Snow and produced by Callum Macrae: Ofcom will assess the complaints against the program under their Broadcasting Code to see if it needs further investigation and action.

Ofcom has received over 100 complaints since the film was aired on Channel 4 on June 14.

Sri Lankan diplomats and leading forensic video 'experts' had contested Channel 4's claims of accuracy. They are claiming that video footage used to support the killing fields story was faked or altered

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka High Commission in Australia and Sri Lankans living in Australia have complained to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation following its decision to telecast the Channel 4 documentary as part of its Four Corners programme.