Rated/Slated – July 08

Big Brother continued to dominate viewer feedback last month with over 2,000 complaints and 210 appreciative comments making their way to C4 in July. Meanwhile, The Qur’an divided viewers, attracting both the most appreciate comments and the most complaints.

Channel 4’s Viewer Enquiries team handled a total of 22,480 contacts (phone calls and emails) from viewers last month. Each query was logged and the appropriate people at Channel 4 notified. Of these contacts, 3,756 criticised the channel and its shows, while 548 complimented the programmes broadcast.

Top 10 programmes most appreciated by people who contacted Viewer Enquiries in July 2008, excluding Big Brother (quote is an example of viewer comment):

1. The Qur’an (79 contacts) “Documentaries like these show the nation that there is more to Islam than what the media portrays.”
2. Can’t Read, Can’t Write (24) “I just wanted to congratulate Channel 4 for making/commissioning and broadcasting this programme – it moved me to tears.”
3. Dispatches: It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim (22) “It was so refreshing to see a programme challenging the relentless rise of Islamophobia, and reflecting the real experience of British Muslims.”
4. The Great Global Warming Swindle (17) “Thank you for offering an alternative view. Such was the furore and outcry over the programme, one wonders if they “do protest too much”".
5. The Seven Wonders of the Muslim World (10) “A wonderful enlightening programme, beautifully filmed capturing stunning images of the mosques.”
6. 7/7: The Angels of Edgware Road (6) “The programmes were truly uplifting and restored my faith in the basic goodness and kindness of people in exceptional circumstances.”
7. The Sunday Night Project (5) “I think that the Friday and Sunday Night Project are the funniest programmes that has ever been on channel 4!!”
8. 10 Years Younger (5) “I like watching the programme. Not only do you transform these ladies looks, but their lives.”
9. Gok’s Fashion Fix (5) “He is absolutely fantastic and he is dead down to earth, he is a credit to the company and the programme.”
10. 7/7: The Miracle of Carriage 346 (4) “I would congratulate you on the appropriateness and quality of that programme. Very moving and thought-provoking.”

Top 10 programmes most criticised by people who contacted Viewer Enquiries in July 2008, excluding Big Brother (quote is an example of viewer comment):

1. The Qu’ran (380) “As a Shia Muslim I’m unhappy about the way our beliefs were portrayed on the Qu’ran programme”
2. The F Word (176) “Gordon’s language is bad enough without us having to watch poor animals being killed just for ratings reasons… I think it is in very poor taste.”
3. The Kevin Bishop Show (85) “I am a broad minded person, but this was simply disgusting and in very poor taste… I have never, ever been so appalled.”
4. The Charlotte Church Show (52) “Charlotte’s language was unnecessary and offensive and in no way made my viewing experience pleasurable.”
5. Dispatches: It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim (33) “… just a poor PR exercise for Muslims and Islam which was all form and no content.”
6. 10 Years Younger (29) “In the most recent series you have taken to revealing the end result at the beginning of the show. Why?”
7. 8 out of 10 Cats (27) “I was deeply offended by Jimmy Carr’s joke which insinuated that the Queen killed Princess Diana.”
8. Personal Services Required (26) “I took great exception to the homophobic nature of questioning on this programme last night. There can be no place on primetime TV for this type of prejudice.”
9. Gok’s Fashion Fix (26) “Why oh Why… has Gok got stick thin anorexic models on his new show. Its outrageous and he’s totally gone down in my estimation now.”
10. The Street Weapons Commission (22) “Why have Mrs Blair there, she added nothing at all. She appeared to be more of a facilitator that anything else.”
11. Can’t Read, Can’t Write (22) “This programme has done little to properly examine the issues.”

How do you feel about this month’s Rated/Slated? Do you agree with the comments you’ve read?

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