United Kingdom

[GB] Broadcasting Standards Commission Issues Statement Regarding

IRIS 1999-3:1/25

David Goldberg

deeJgee Research/Consultancy

The Broadcasting Standards Commission has included a statement in its most recent Bulletin, arising from its consideration of complaints made against several programmes "within Channel 5's late night erotic strands". The Commission, relying on recently published evidence, notes the public's increasing acceptance and tolerance of "sex on television" only if it is "justified within a dramatic or informative context". The point of the programmes complained of was "clearly erotic". The Commission stated that "the inclusion, for its own sake, of erotic material in a free to air television service is a step change in the use of sex on British television". This degrades the other difference revealed in the report, namely that the public is more tolerant of matter which is transmitted on pay services. Despite noting that Channel 5 had put out warnings about the material, and that the programmes were transmitted late at night, the Commission expressed its concern at the increasing volume of such material; that the trend constituted a general erosion of standards; and that "gratuitous scenes of violent or coercive sex were unacceptable".