ITV’s flagship current affairs programme Tonight was cleared by the Independent Television Commission (ITC) after fifteen viewers complained when it broadcast interviews with five suspects in the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry.
The Commission decided that rather than providing a ‘platform’ for the men to defend themselves, as was claimed by the complainants, the robust questioning of interviewer Martin Bashir was approved by the police who gained ‘golden nuggets’ of new information from the show which subsequently helped their inquiry.
Despite this clearance the show looks set for reschedule in the autumn after a slump in viewing figures. It is understood that the programme’s average audiences, of around 4.5m, are far lower than the expected 6m with figures at times as low as 3.5m. The show is reported to be moving to a 45 minute slot on a Wednesday from its hour-long 10pm slot on Thursday.
When contacted by Newsline, no-one was available to comment at the ITV Network Centre regarding the reported rescheduling of Tonight.
ITV Network Centre: 0171 843 8000
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