Virgin1 rapped for Llewelyn-Bowen 'F' word

Virgin1 has been rapped by Ofcom after the 'F' word was used in the reality-style series To The Manor Bowen.

The programme, which followed Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen and his family as they relocated to a new country home, saw a builder on the site use the word 'f**king', which was not edited out.

It was also noted that the scene was used in a mid-programme promo, but the expletive had been masked on that occasion.

As a result, Ofcom received a complaint from a viewer who objected to the use of such strong language in a pre-watershed timeslot and was concerned that young children may have been watching.

Virgin1 apologised for the use of language and alleged that two versions of the show had been produced: one for a pre-watershed slot and one to air post-watershed. However, it offered no explanation as to how the profanity aired in the earlier timeslot.

Ofcom's research into the expletive suggested that 'f**k' and its derivatives were considered by viewers to be very offensive and as a result, Virgin1 had clearly breached the Code.

Ofcom acknowledged Virgin1's apology and the steps to re-edit the episode to avoid future offence, but was concerned that the broadcaster's compliance check did not identify the expletive.