These reports are case summaries of complaints which appeared to raise issues of substance in relation to the interpretation of the ITC Programme Code. Summary statistics of non-substantive complaints can be found in the full reports which are obtainable from the ITC.
Showing Complaints & Interventions Report for PRIORY
Channel: Channel 4
Date & time: Tuesday 3 July: 6.00pm
Complaint from: 1 viewer (upheld)
Background
A four letter word was used twice by an actor in a set-up situation in this live show. One of the presenters apologised later in the show for ‘small expletives which escaped in the heat of it all’.
Issue
The ITC received one complaint that the swear word was unacceptable for a show broadcast at 6pm.
Assessment
Channel 4 gave a detailed explanation of the measures they had undertaken with staff and guests to minimise the risk of any behaviour that would contravene pre-watershed standards. The words were (fortuitously) indistinct, and were bleeped out when the programme was subsequently screened on E4.
While the ITC accepts that there are occasions when unpredictable situations arise, this is not the first problem of this sort that has arisen with The Priory, while TFI Friday was prone to the same problem in this slot. The ITC also noted that it was not a guest who used the offensive language, but someone employed by the programme.
Conclusion
The ITC concluded that the programme was in breach of Section 1.5 of the Programme Code. Channel 4 was advised to consider its compliance arrangements for any future series of this programme.
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