BRITAIN: BBC deceived children over Socks the kitten

After being fined in July over faked phone-in contest, Blue Peter program admits to ignoring online votes and picking kitten's name, disregarding viewers

The Straits Times
Friday, September 21, 2007

LONDON --- PRODUCERS of the flagship BBC children's programme Blue Peter deceived thousands of young viewers for a second time in a year by ignoring their votes to choose a name for the show's kitten, the BBC said.

In the latest in a series of 'fake TV' admissions that has rocked the broadcaster, producers asked children to help name the cat in an online vote, only to ignore the result without telling the audience.

The winning name was Cookie. However, the show's production team picked Socks instead because it 'was deemed to be a more suitable name for a kitten', the BBC said in a statement on Thursday.

'Blue Peter is to introduce a further kitten to the programme next week who will be given the name 'Cookie' as voted for by viewers,' it said. 'Socks will also remain on the team.'

Media regulator Ofcom fined the BBC 50,000 pounds (S$151,000) in July over a faked phone-in contest on Blue Peter, one of its longest running programmes.

The BBC apologised to the Queen earlier this year for implying in a documentary trailer that she had stormed out of a photo-shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

BBC Director-General Mark Thompson said he had taken 'tough and vigorous' measures to improve standards at the corporation.

'I would like to repeat my apology to viewers and listeners who were misled by these editorial lapses,' he said. 'The BBC has taken a wide range of actions in recent months to strengthen our editorial guidelines and processes.'

Blue Peter presenters are due to apologise to viewers next week.

Date Posted: 9/21/2007