ITC Upholds Complaints Against Live With Chris Moyles

The ITC has upheld further complaints against Channel 5’s early evening tabloid-style show Live With Chris Moyles for bad language.

The Commission recommended that the show should use a delay mechanism in transmission, to avoid similar incidents from occurring again. Live programmes have traditionally been associated with unexpected outbursts and slip-ups, which often result in complaints to the ITC.

The breach occurred when phone-in callers were asked to participate in a quickfire quiz. During the establishment of the names and locations of the competitors, one person from Birmingham was asked whether he had experienced the previous night’s earthquake in that city. His response was ‘I fucking did, Chris’. One viewer, who was watching with her children, complained that this word was unacceptable before the watershed.

Channel 5 claims they had stringent procedures to ensure its live programming stayed within the ITC codes, including extensive briefings for the production team and warnings to all participants, including callers, that strong language is unacceptable. Therefore, the channel felt the slip-up was an example of the “casual swearing so commonplace among large sectors of the population”.

Live With Chris Moyles, which is produced by Chris Evans, is seen as a key part of Channel Five’s strategy to attract the lucrative 18 to 34 year audience (see New Chris Moyles Show Pulls In The Punters For Five).

ITC: 0207 306 7743 www.itc.org.uk

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