Ofcom: 'CBB' did break broadcasting code

Ofcom has published its adjudication on Channel Four's Celebrity Big Brother, stating the broadcaster was in breach of the Broadcasting Code.

The investigation has found that Channel Four made "serious editorial misjudgements, compounded by a serious failure of its compliance process".

Ofcom has imposed a statutory sanction on Channel Four, directing the network to broadcast a summary of Ofcom’s finding on three separate occasions. This will be at the start of the first programme of the new series of Big Brother, the first re-versioned programme the following morning, and the first eviction show.

Ed Richards, Ofcom chief executive, said: "Ofcom takes allegations of racist abuse and bullying on television extremely seriously. An unprecedented number of complaints were received and, whilst Celebrity Big Brother was still on-air, we launched a full investigation."

"It is essential that broadcasters are able to air challenging and controversial material but in doing so they must have effective compliance procedures in place and must exercise their editorial duties responsibly," he added.

Ofcom’s action additionally applies to S4C because it also broadcasts Channel Four’s Celebrity Big Brother programming.

The full adjudication is can be accessed on the Ofcom website.