Channel 4 Hits Back At ITC

Channel 4 have today hit back at the ITC, branding their ruling on the Brass Eye satirical documentary “unclear and contradictory.”

Channel 4’s director of programmes, Tim Gardam, today attacked the regulator, which condemned the programme, broadcast on 26 July, for causing “exceptional and gratuitous offence.”

He said: “What is disappointing and confusing about the ITC ruling is that it contradicts previous decisions where they have supported programmes of a similar nature.”

He added: “The ITC’s arguments are unclear and inconsistent with successive rulings it has made on other Channel 4 programmes. The warnings and transmission time of the programme were identical to those of Chris Morris’ previous series Jam, which were not criticised by the ITC, despite the fact that the commission accepts that scenes in Jam were more disturbing than the Brass Eye special.”

Channel 4’s chief executive, Michael Jackson, added: “Channel 4 is unwavering in its support for Chris Morris and Brass Eye and we would not hesitate to commission or transmit such a programme again. While supporting our right to commission and broadcast this programme and giving our procedures a clean bill of health, the ITC has reached a subjective decision, different from ours, that the scheduling and pre-broadcast warnings were not enough to mitigate any likely offence.”

Channel 4 was found to be in breach of of two sections of the programming code and was criticised for advertising the programme, which generated around 1,000 complaints to the ITC, in way which implied that it was a genuine documentary (see Channel 4 Rapped For Brass Eye).

Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com

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