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 I’M A CELEBRITY – GET ME OUT OF HERE!
Channel: ITV1 (Granada)
Date & time: Thursday 8 May: 8.00pm
Category: Language
Complaint from: 8 viewers
Background
The series, broadcast in the evening in the UK, was a mixture of recorded inserts and live material from Australia and featured interviews with celebrities who had been voted off the show.
Issue
Viewers complained that the word 'fuck' was used in one of the programmes which was broadcast before the watershed.
Assessment
In a live interview with Ant and Dec, Catalina used the word whilst reporting a conversation with Daniella Westbrook. She had just been voted off the show and it was at 5.58am Australian time, 8.58pm UK time.
Granada accepted that the word, whilst suppressed, was nevertheless audible and was not appropriate before the watershed.
Viewers have a right to expect pre-watershed restrictions to apply right up to 9pm. The ITC recognised that the licensee had made every effort in this series to ensure that inappropriate language from people, clearly tired and in stressful situations, was not broadcast. The licensee promised to ensure that, in any future series, the production team will reinforce their briefing to contestants, especially where the live interview section of the show is concerned.
Conclusion
The programme was in breach of Section 1.5 of the Code.
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