BBC suspends firm over faked scenes
The BBC Trust has ruled that there has been a series of "serious and repeated" breaches of editorial guidelines in a number of BBC daytime shows, including faked scenes.
Independent production company Reef Television must now pay compensation to the BBC - which was unaware of the deceit - and an on-air apology is to be broadcast.
BBC1 series such as Sun, Sea And Bargain Spotting and Trash For Cash were among those which the BBC Trust found had misled viewers.
The programmes included production staff being passed off as members of the public while buying items and re-staging events for the cameras. Production staff also bought items which affected on-screen challenges.
Reef has been suspended from working for the BBC since the incidents came to light in the summer while the investigation was carried out. It admitted that it carried out some of the practices knowingly, but believed they were acceptable.
Richard Tait, chairman of the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee (ESC), said: "The practices identified in Reef Television's programming routinely misled the BBC's audiences and are totally unacceptable."
In the programme Sun Sea And Bargain Spotting, there were seven broadcast incidents of staff posing as members of the public purchasing items.
Two of the cases affected the outcome of the programme, with a different contestant winning the programme as a result of the purchase. There were also two incidents of restaging, with one dealer asked to pose as another, and a researcher standing in for a genuine dealer.
A number of off-camera staff purchases which were not transmitted also came to light. These were made during Series 6, for which work was suspended pending the investigation.
Reef Television also disclosed that there were 11 issues of staff purchases in Trash To Cash, deemed to be minor by BBC management.
