Radio 1 reprimanded over BNP interview

The BBC has ruled that Radio 1 was not tough enough when two senior BNP members were allowed to describe footballer Ashley Cole as "not ethnically British" in an interview on the station.

In a ruling by the BBC's editorial complaints department, the corporation said that Radio 1 should not have permitted the individuals to appear anonymously and the presenter should have done more to challenge their views on British ethnicity.

The interview, aired on Radio 1's Newsbeat segment last year, introduced "two young guys who are members of the BNP", who were actually BNP publicity director Mark Collett and Joseph Barber, manager of the party's record label Great White Records.

During the two-minute interview, Newsbeat reporter Debbie Randle allowed Collett and Barber to describe Cole as "coming to this country", despite the fact that he was born in London.

Two listeners subsequently complained about the comments and the fact that the two men were not forced to be upfront about their actual identities.

Despite the BBC defending its need to represent all political parties and views, shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt immediately called for an investigation to be launched into whether the interview breached the corporation's guidelines.

Following a full review, the BBC Complaints unit acknowledged that information about the two men's status in the BNP "was relevant to listeners' understanding of their contributions, and should have been included".

"Although not conducted in a confrontational style, the interview did include elements of challenge (in both the broadcast and the online version)," said the ruling.

"However, the concept of British ethnicity, introduced by the interviewees in connection with the example of a black British-born footballer, was not tested in the way its controversial character called for.

"The Newsbeat team were reminded of the need to ensure that listeners have enough information to assess the status and credentials of interviewees. The editor of Newsbeat also discussed with the team the need for rigorous challenge within interviews of this kind."