Competitions returning to BBC

A "limited number" of competitions are returning to the BBC five months after they were banned because of fakery incidents.

The corporation has announced some will start returning "in a phased manner from January 2008". It will begin with Goal Of The Month on Match Of The Day and Pop Master on the Ken Bruce show on Radio 2.

It has tightened up the rules on competitions since an audit revealed "serious breaches of editorial standards" such as staff pretending to be winners.

There is a new code of conduct while thousands of production staff are taking a Safeguarding Trust training course. Some 45%, amounting to 7,200 people, have already taken it.

The new rules say competitions must have "very senior level prior approval" and be strictly supervised and planned.

Director general Mark Thompson said: "Trust in our integrity, our determination to deal fairly and honestly with our audiences, is the most precious thing the BBC possesses.

"The BBC has followed a policy of confronting problems, disclosing everything and giving the public a clear explanation of what we are doing to get things right.

"Early indications are that our audiences approve of what we've done. After an understandable dip, our ratings for trust are recovering."

The corporation has also capped the cost of premium-rate calls to its shows.