Just when broadcasters had hoped that the TV voting scandal was consigned to history along with Britannia High, Ofcom hits Channel TV with a £80,000 fine for breaching broadcasting rules in the British Comedy Awards.
Students of TV premium rate services may remember that in 2005 the People's Choice Award (voted for by members of the public by phone) went to ITV's Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and that the prize was presented by Robbie Williams. It transpired, however, that BBC's The Catherine Tate Show had received the greatest number of votes.
The regulator was unable to conclude whether pressure from Williams' agent or that Channel TV, which is responsible for compliance, was leaned on by ITV to make Ant & Dec to make the swap. But all in all, it's not a very glorious moment for ITV.
I've long been of the opinion that only idiots take part in participation TV. Given the shambles that is taking place as ITV struggles to find itself a new chairman and new chief executive, why doesn't it through it open to the public vote?
They'd probably want someone from Diversity or Kate Humble. But the revenue generated might mean that they could afford to get Tony Ball. Pip pip.
