It's a bum rap: regulator Ofcom ticks off ITV2 over striptease on Britain's Got More Talent

 
9 September 2013

TV show Britain's Got More Talent has been criticised by the broadcasting regulator after a burlesque act stripped off when children were watching.

Ofcom said the striptease, aired before the 9pm watershed, "clearly crossed" the line.

Viewers of the ITV2 spin-off saw the stripper, Scarlet, being introduced to the Britain's Got Talent judges - Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams - in a full-length sequinned dress, necklace and gloves.

She sang The Jungle Book's Bare Necessities as presenter Stephen Mulhern appeared backstage holding a card with the words "Get em off!" written on it.

Scarlet unzipped and stepped out of her dress, leaving her wearing only a necklace and feather boa, then wiggled her bottom at the audience.

The images were blurred and intercut with shots of the audience and judges' reactions, and at the end of the performance host Declan Donnelly handed her a dressing gown.

Ofcom said the episode breached the broadcasting code. It was first shown on Saturday April 13 at 8.35pm, but then repeated at 5.30pm, 1.25pm and 6.30am on other days of the week. Almost 350,000 children watched the episode and its repeats.

ITV denied the blurring was insufficient and insisted the striptease was carefully edited.

It said Britain's Got Talent had featured similar acts, such as Fabia Cerra and Beatrix Von Bourbon, over the years.

But Ofcom ruled that the nudity was more evident than in previous shows due its "frequency and close-up [shots]", and that the blurring was of "limited effectiveness".

It said parents had not been warned that the content might be unsuitable.

Ofcom's director of content standards, Tony Close, said: "There is a clear line in terms of what it is acceptable to broadcast before the 9pm watershed.

"A striptease act broadcast at times when a significant number of children were likely to be watching clearly crossed this line.

"The protection of children from potentially harmful content is a key area of concern for Ofcom, reflected in our ongoing work on the enforcement of the 9pm watershed.

"We will continue to closely monitor compliance in this area and take appropriate action when needed."

Ofcom recently warned broadcasters about airing violence before the watershed and announced that it will commission research into the issue.

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