'Blue Peter' embroiled in new fakery row

Blue Peter is once again at the centre of a row over TV fakery after it emerged that it used child actors instead of website participants in a segment featuring Dead Ringers' Jon Culshaw.

The incident occurred in September 2005. On-screen, it appeared that six children who had submitted questions for Culshaw on the programme's website went along to meet him. However, two of the six were actually from a local drama group and had not submitted questions to the BBC's website.

"Our presenter should have made it clear that only some of the children on the show came via the website," the BBC's children's controller Richard Deverell said today.

However, Deverell added that the BBC would continue making use of the practice "because we need articulate, confident children who will contribute something to our shows".