Watershed To Remain At 9pm Despite Increased Complaints About Sex

The Broadcasting Standards Commission’s (BSC) annual report, out this week, reveals that the number of complaints for the year ended March 1999 increased by 37%. Almost a quarter of these complaints were concerned with the portrayal of sex on television, a subject which an increasing number of people complained about last year.

The first episode of Channel 4’s gay drama Queer As Folk caused the most controversy, with the BSC receiving over 138 complaints about the series in its recent bulletin (see Newsline). The Independent Television Commission (ITC) also dealt with 160 complaints about the programme (see Newsline).

Overall, the BSC acted on 693 complaints about sex over the year, including complaints about sex in daytime TV confessional shows, documentaries and the news. However, despite growing complaints about sex on TV and increasing concerns about the sexual content of young people’s programmes broadcast before the Watershed, Stephen Whittle, director of the Commission, believes that the Watershed works sufficiently well for it to remain at 9pm. He commented:

“As long as the Watershed is respected by broadcasters, as indicated by our recent monitoring research, and the move to adult programming is gradual rather than abrupt at 9pm, then there is no need to move it to 10pm.”

Broadcasting Standards Commission: 0171 233 0544