Complaint
A reference to the Irish potato famine prompted a complaint that viewers were misled because the programme failed to mention Britain’s responsibility for the crisis. Β The ECU considered whether the programme met the standards for due accuracy laid out in the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The episode followed the former Spice Girl, Mel C as she discovered more about her ancestry. Β The section in which she visited Ireland was short and references to the famine amounted to just a few sentences. Β Its purpose was to explain why a part of Mel C’s family felt they had to leave Ireland and move to Liverpool.Β In the ECU’s view there would not have been an audience expectation for the underlying causes of the famine to be explained. Β
Not Upheld