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Press Releases
BBC statement about Saturday Kitchen
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A statement was issued by the BBC last night after ICSTIS, the premium rate services regulator, announced it would investigate the premium rate phone services used by Saturday Kitchen, broadcast on BBC One.
The statement reads:
In view of recent
criticism of Saturday Kitchen the BBC would like to make the following clear:
1. Viewers were invited to phone in for the opportunity to take part in a
programme. In several cases it was stated that they were calling to take part
in next week's show when in fact that show was being recorded later that day.
However, all callers did have a genuine chance of appearing in a future
programme, and indeed this is how all the public were selected.
2. It is
absolutely clear that on no occasion have Saturday Kitchen phone lines
remained open after the result of a phone vote has been decided.
3. Neither the
BBC nor the programme makers have profited from the phone lines. The premium
rates were set at the lowest rates normally used and after operational costs
(for running the phone lines) have been covered, the independent producer has
already undertaken to donate the modest amount of residual money to Comic
Relief.
With all of the information we have to hand, we believe this was no
more than a lack of clarity in the scripting of a pre-recorded programme which
is to be regretted.
Jana Bennett, Director, BBC Vision said: "Whilst the language
was not clear enough, there can be no question of the public being cheated.
"As
soon as this came to light, we took immediate action with the independent
producer to ensure all future programmes would be live.
"I will be looking at
the implications of what happened and I am preparing a report for the Director-General.
"In the meantime, the BBC welcomes the ICSTIS investigation, and the
opportunity to discuss the matter with them in full."
BBC Press Office
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