BBC asked to axe ‘freak’ sex show: Report

Vivienne Pattison of TV watchdog Mediawatch said: “The show’s terrible,almost a freak show. It’s also irresponsible,inappropriate,disturbing and even exploitative towards some of those featured in it.

“For a programme clearly aimed at a teenage audience it is extremely irresponsible not to include any discussion of safe sex.”

The programme introduces a young man,Dan,from a jazz band who shows a girl a condom described as a “willy hat” and jokes with her about sexual positions. She then hosts a chat with a group of young men,one of whom claims he had oral sex with a woman outside an eating joint,the newspaper said.

Mediawatch says the programme flouts the Ofcom code dealing with “generally accepted standards” and plans to lodge a complaint with the BBC and Ofcom. “If this is designed to be educational it clearly fails. If however it is designed as entertainment then it’s is prurient,” Pattison said.

Echoing similar sentiments,former government minister Ann Widdecombe said: “The BBC should not screen this programme. It seems to me that they are just trying to set new boundaries and to do this at 9 PM when a lot of young people will still be up is horrendous.”

A BBC spokeswoman,however,said: “Cherry Healey: Like A Virgin adheres to BBC editorial guidelines and is scheduled appropriately with a strong language warning prior to transmission.”