BBC Suspends Production Company For "Faked" Scenes On Reality Shows

November 30, 2009 1:48 p.m. EST

London, UK (CNS) - The BBC Trust is laying down the law on what constitutes "reality" in its reality programming. After some daytime sows like "Sun, Sea And Bargain Spotting" and "Trash to Cash" were proven to have some staged or "faked" scenes, the BBC is forcing the production company to compensate the BBC for misleading viewers.

Reef Television produces the programs which, according to reports from the Daily Mail, included various scenes where its own production staff members posed as the general public and re-staged events for the cameras to change the outcome of some the programs.

Reef Television admitted that it carried out some of the practices in question but said they believed they were acceptable. But BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee chairman Richard Tait does not believe they're acceptable and helped suspend Reef Television from producing more work for BBC.

"The practices identified in Reef Television's programming routinely misled the BBC's audiences and are totally unacceptable," said Tait. On the program "Sun, Sea And Bargain Spotting" alone, there were more than seven separate instances where the staff as real public faking occurred.

The BBC promised not to air the programs any longer and an on-air apology will be broadcast. "The BBC must not allow its audiences to be misled," Tait continued. "It must put steps in place to prevent this and, if misleading material is uncovered, it must be dealt with openly and firmly."

The BBC and its licensees also stand to lose money from no longer airing the episodes. The amount of compensation BBC expects Reef Television to pay up has not yet been determined or revealed.