Dispatches

He explained that Dispatches sets out to cover stories of national importance that are of significant public interest, in a way that will add to the sum of existing knowledge. Using that yardstick, he believes that both Boris Johnson’s mayoralty and the activities of the royal princes are legitimate topics for Dispatches to cover and strongly denied the implied criticism that these programmes were not up to Dispatches’ usual standard.

While accepting that both Boris and the younger princes in particular were much loved public figures – and, as such, any criticism of them would be likely to upset their supporters – he felt that both programmes had been fair to those featured. He also explained that Dispatches always puts any allegations to the subject in writing ahead of broadcast giving them a reasonable time in which to respond – and when that response comes, fairly reflecting it within the body of the programme.

Some viewers had been critical of both programmes for apparently being biased either politically or against the monarchy, so it was interesting to hear that over the past few years the monarchy has only featured twice in over 60 domestic stories covered by Dispatches, and that many more programmes will have been critical of the Labour Party, by virtue of it being the governing party, than of the Conservatives. The Ofcom Code requires any programme to be fair to the subjects but does not oblige a programme like Dispatches to report equally on good and bad points of a subject or an issue – what Dispatches aims to do is uncover facts that viewers should be aware of and allow each of us to form our own views based on the broader picture we then have.

Watch the video to find out what viewers thought of programmes including Grand Designs, Hollyoaks, 10 Years Younger, Skins, Dispatches, Come Dine With Me, Supersize vs Superskinny and more.

Do you agree with what the people of Chester had to say? Let us know by rating the video, or posting your comments below.

If you’d like to share your views with The TV Show, visit our Take Part section to see where The Big 4 will be heading later this year. Next month, you’ll find The Big 4 in Canterbury.

Alternatively, you can submit your own videos to The TV Show site.

Watch the video to find out what viewers in Swindon thought of programmes including Celebrity Big Brother, Dead Set, Skins, Hollyoaks, The True Cost of Cheap Food, Christianity: A History, Countdown, My Name is Earl, Surviving Gazza, Mum, Dad, Alzheimer’s and Me, and more.

Do you agree with what the people of Swindon had to say? Let us know by rating the video, or posting your comments below.

If you’d like to share your views with The TV Show, visit our Take Part section to see where The Big 4 will be heading later this year. Next month, you’ll find The Big 4 in Chester.

This week we have had several emails from lap dancers who objected to the way their profession was portrayed in Dispatches: The Hidden World of Lap Dancing. Using hidden cameras, the film looked at the growth of lap dancing clubs and examined how close the services offered in some clubs come to prostitution.  One viewer told us they ran lapdancing clubs in pubs and were shocked by what this programme revealed.  “If my girls or customers behaved like this they would be shown the door”, they said.

The biggest complaint of the last couple of weeks has been about Jamie’s fruity language in Jamie’s Ministry of Food. While reaction to the programme has been overwhelmingly positive, as comments on our recent blog show, there has been some frustration expressed by both parents and teachers that the language has made the programme unsuitable for younger audiences, who they feel would benefit from the messages that Jamie is trying to get across.

I spoke to Dominique Walker, the commissioning editor for the programme, who explained that, in commissioning the programmes, both she and Jamie had hoped to build on the work of the Jamie’s School Dinners campaign and really influence how people eat at home. Her view was that, for both this series and School Dinners, it was really important that the production team captured the unfolding documentary story accurately. As one closely involved in the production, she has observed that Jamie’s journeys are often frustrating, exciting and passionate and, at times this does lead to him swearing.

She acknowledged that this language can be offensive to some viewers but was also mindful of the fact that this programme is scheduled to play after the watershed when viewers may expect there to be some strong language. A warning about there being strong language was given before the programme started. We discussed what opportunities there might be for younger viewers to see the programme, and, as a result of your feedback, she is considering making the programme available in a child friendly version, with the swear words bleeped out, on 4oD.

Whoever you are and wherever you watch our programmes, we are interested in you and your views, so please feel free to add your perspective below.

Having found a temporary home in the city’s Buchanan Street, The TV Show team asked passers by to share their views on the recent programmes they had either loved or loathed – and they didn’t disappoint.

Take a look at the video to find out what Glasgow viewers really think of programmes including The Secret Millionaire, Hollyoaks, The Genius of Charles Darwin, Ugly Betty, 10 Years Younger, Gok’s Fashion Fix, Dispatches and, of course, Big Brother…

Do you agree with what the people of Glasgow had to say? Let us know by posting your comments below…

If you’d like to share your views with The Big 4, please keep an eye on our Take Part section to find out where it’ll be later this month.

The film, which airs tonight at 8pm (and will be available on Free Catch-Up for the next seven days) also investigates the role of the Saudi Arabian religious establishment in spreading fundamentalist Islamic ideology in the UK.

When the first film, Undercover Mosque, was screened in January 2007, the viewer enquiries team at Channel 4 received around 100 complaints and 30 appreciative comments from viewers. More controversially perhaps, the West Midlands Police complained about the film to Ofcom, who subsequently cleared Channel 4 of any wrongdoing.

Whether or not you watched the original programme, we’d be really interested to know what you think about tonight’s revisit – please let us know by leaving your comments below…

Reaction to the programme has been mixed – some viewers have praised Channel 4 for “challenging the relentless rise of Islamophobia”, while others have argued that the programme makers “deliberately misrepresented the facts”.

The Big 4 will visit a regional town or city towards the end of each month and ask the local people to reveal what they have enjoyed, and not enjoyed, about Channel 4 in recent weeks. To kick things off, The TV Show headed over to Wales and handed the microphone over to the good people of Cardiff.

Watch the video to find out what Cardiff viewers thought of programmes including Big Brother, The F Word, Derren Brown’s Trick or Treat, Peep Show, Dispatches, the lack of homegrown children’s television and more.

Do you agree with what the people of Cardiff had to say? Let us know by posting your comments below…

If you’d like to share your views with The Big 4, please keep an eye on our Take Part section to find out where it’ll be later this month.