Complaint
Two people complained that this sitcom, originally broadcast on Radio 4, included characters clearly based on them, in the context of information about the characters which was inaccurate and damaging in relation to themselves.Β The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s Editorial Guidelines on Accuracy and Fairness.
Outcome
The ECU thought it unlikely that listeners in general would expect any test of accuracy to apply to statements made in the somewhat fantastical scenario of the series, irrespective of their potential application to the complainants, and consequently found no breach of standards in relation to accuracy.Β However, it accepted that listeners who knew the complainants might well have linked them with the relevant characters, and entertained the possibility that statements about them were true of the complainants.Β The ECU concluded that the sitcom opened the complainants to unwelcome and unfounded speculation about personal matters, in breach of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ’s standards of fairness.
Partly upheld
Further action
The finding has been reported to the Board of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio and discussed with the programme-makers concerned.Β The material complained of has been removed from Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sounds.