Latest news with #OfcomBroadcastingCode
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Disney ‘evades animal-cruelty law' over rat-drowning scene
Disney has been accused of exploiting a loophole in animal cruelty rules by screening scenes of a rodent being forcibly immersed in a liquid. The RSPCA has criticised Disney over its decision to screen the scene in the film The Abyss where a real rat is deliberately submerged in fluorocarbon liquid. The scene has been cut from all previous screenings of the film after being banned by the British Board for Film Classification (BBFC) from cinema and TV over animal welfare concerns. The BBFC took advice from the RSPCA, the largest animal welfare charity in the UK, which said the 'forcible immersion of the rat caused terror' and amounted to animal cruelty. Because streaming platforms such as Disney+ are not covered to the same standards by BBFC or Ofcom rules as cinema, DVD or traditional TV channels, they are not technically breaching any codes. David Bowles, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, said: 'The RSPCA is really concerned that a loophole currently exists allowing animal abuse scenes deemed unacceptable elsewhere to be streamed freely and legally into our homes. 'The Abyss' controversial rat scene has long concerned the RSPCA, and has always been deemed unacceptable by BBFC – so it's hard to fathom out why Disney+ has decided to broadcast it. We need to ensure people are not being exposed to content which promotes or showcases cruelty to animals. 'As the way millions of households consume entertainment changes, it's vital the legal framework is responsive to that and continues to consistently protect people and animals.' While the rats used during filming are said to have survived the ordeal, the scene remains prohibited from UK cinema screenings, DVD and traditional TV. Given the infliction of terror, the scene was cut by the BBFC under the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, meaning it must be cut for any theatrical use. The BBFC – as the regulator of content released on physical media – has also cut the scene under the Video Recordings Act 1984, meaning it must not be included on releases on formats such as Blu-Ray and DVD. UK television channels must also adhere to the Ofcom Broadcasting Code – which states no material cut refused classification by the BBFC may be broadcast to viewers – meaning the scene should also not be aired on traditional TV. Streaming platforms, however, are not bound by the same standards as film releases in cinema, DVD or on traditional television – and the RSPCA fears this provides a 'loophole' to broadcasting animal abuse long considered unacceptable on other mediums. A new piece of legislation – the Media Act – enhances Ofcom's regulation of streaming services, and the regulator is due to publish a new video-on-demand code. The RSPCA said it hoped this would deliver a 'degree of consistency' with animal-abuse content standards across cinema, home entertainment and streaming services. Many streaming services already work with the BBFC on a voluntary basis and the RSPCA hopes Ofcom will highlight this work as good practice in the new code. Mr Bowles said: 'We hope a new code of conduct under the Media Act will help close this loophole – but we need to see a degree of consistency between streaming platforms and other forms of more traditional entertainment, so people can have confidence when watching films and other shows. 'It doesn't make sense that we have robust safeguards for animal-related content shown in cinemas, on DVDs or on traditional television channels – yet those protections could go out the window when you turn on a major streaming service. We can't backtrack now on what society deems is acceptable in terms of how we treat animals.' Disney+ has been contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC pulls Gaza film as it carries out checks over Hamas links
The BBC has removed a documentary about Gaza from its iPlayer streaming service while it carries out "further due diligence" after discovering its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The broadcaster has been criticised for Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which centred on the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. The BBC said it had not been informed of the family connection in advance by the film's production company, which "had full editorial control". The programme had initially remained available to stream, but was removed from iPlayer on Friday morning, with the BBC saying it would investigate the matter. A statement said: "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone features important stories we think should be told - those of the experiences of children in Gaza. "There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. "The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place." The decision comes after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Thursday she would discuss the matter with the BBC's director general and chairman, "particularly around the way in which they sourced the people who were featured in the programme". A number of prominent TV figures including actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, Strike producer Neil Blair, former BBC One controller Danny Cohen and producer Leo Pearlman, had also written to the BBC to call for an investigation. They said: "Given the serious nature of these concerns, the BBC should immediately postpone any broadcast repeats of the programme, remove it from iPlayer and take down any social media clips of the programme until an independent investigation is carried out and its findings published with full transparency for licence-fee payers." They raised concerns about the "editorial standards of this programme and the BBC's compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, its own Editorial Guidelines and English law", and asked the corporation to explain what had happened. "If the BBC was aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri was the son of a terrorist leader, why was this not disclosed to audiences during the programme?" they asked. "If the BBC was not aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri is the son of a terrorist leader, what diligence checks were undertaken and why did they fail?" The BBC initially kept the programme on iPlayer but added a message at the start reading: "The narrator of this film is 13-year-old Abdullah. His father has worked as a deputy agriculture minister for the Hamas-run government in Gaza. "The production team had full editorial control of filming with Abdullah." Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK, Israel and others. The documentary, which aired on BBC Two on Monday, was made by Hoyo Films, which has not commented. BBC faces questions over Gaza film's Hamas link
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC faces questions over Gaza film's Hamas link
The culture secretary has said she will raise concerns with BBC bosses about a documentary on Gaza that was narrated by the son of a Hamas official. The broadcaster has been criticised for Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which centred on a 13-year-old boy who is the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Lisa Nandy said she would discuss the matter with the BBC's director general and chairman, "particularly around the way in which they sourced the people who were featured in the programme". The BBC said it had not been informed of the family connection in advance by the film's production company, and has apologised "for the omission of that detail". The BBC has added a message to the start of the programme on its iPlayer streaming service, making clear the family link, and saying the production team had "full editorial control". A number of prominent TV figures including actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, Strike producer Neil Blair, former BBC One controller Danny Cohen and producer Leo Pearlman have written to the BBC to call for an investigation. They said: "Given the serious nature of these concerns, the BBC should immediately postpone any broadcast repeats of the programme, remove it from iPlayer and take down any social media clips of the programme until an independent investigation is carried out and its findings published with full transparency for licence-fee payers," they wrote. They raised concerns about the "editorial standards of this programme and the BBC's compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, its own Editorial Guidelines and English law", and asked the corporation to explain what had happened. "If the BBC was aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri was the son of a terrorist leader, why was this not disclosed to audiences during the programme?" they asked. "If the BBC was not aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri is the son of a terrorist leader, what diligence checks were undertaken and why did they fail?" The BBC has kept the programme on iPlayer, and the new message at the start reads: "The narrator of this film is 13 year old Abdullah. His father has worked as a deputy agriculture minister for the Hamas-run government in Gaza. "The production team had full editorial control of filming with Abdullah." In a statement, the BBC said: "Since the transmission of our documentary on Gaza, the BBC has become aware of the family connections of the film's narrator, a child called Abdullah. "We've promised our audiences the highest standards of transparency, so it is only right that as a result of this new information, we add some more detail to the film before its retransmission. We apologise for the omission of that detail from the original film." It added: "We followed all of our usual compliance procedures in the making of this film, but we had not been informed of this information by the independent producers when we complied and then broadcast the finished film. "The film remains a powerful child's eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency." Nandy said the matter was "a conversation I'll definitely be having with the BBC". Speaking to LBC on Thursday, she said: "I watched it last night. It's something that I will be discussing with them, particularly around the way in which they sourced the people who were featured in the programme. "These things are difficult, and I do want to acknowledge that for the BBC, they take more care than most broadcasters in terms of the way that they try to portray these things. They've been attacked for being too pro-Gaza, they've been attacked for being anti-Gaza. But it is absolutely essential that we get this right." The documentary, which aired on BBC Two on Monday, was made by Hoyo Films, which has not commented.
BBC News
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC faces questions over using son of Hamas official in Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone
The culture secretary has said she will raise concerns with BBC bosses about a documentary on Gaza that was narrated by the son of a Hamas broadcaster has been criticised for Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which centred on a 13-year-old boy who is the son of Hamas's deputy minister of Nandy said she would discuss the matter with the BBC's director general and chairman, "particularly around the way in which they sourced the people who were featured in the programme".The BBC said it had not been informed of the family connection in advance by the film's production company, and has apologised "for the omission of that detail". The BBC has added a message to the start of the programme on its iPlayer streaming service, making clear the family link, and saying the production team had "full editorial control".A number of prominent TV figures including actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, Strike producer Neil Blair, former BBC One controller Danny Cohen and producer Leo Pearlman have written to the BBC to call for an said: "Given the serious nature of these concerns, the BBC should immediately postpone any broadcast repeats of the programme, remove it from iPlayer and take down any social media clips of the programme until an independent investigation is carried out and its findings published with full transparency for licence-fee payers," they wrote. Diligence checks They raised concerns about the "editorial standards of this programme and the BBC's compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, its own Editorial Guidelines and English law", and asked the corporation to explain what had happened."If the BBC was aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri was the son of a terrorist leader, why was this not disclosed to audiences during the programme?" they asked."If the BBC was not aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri is the son of a terrorist leader, what diligence checks were undertaken and why did they fail?"The BBC has kept the programme on iPlayer, and the new message at the start reads: "The narrator of this film is 13 year old Abdullah. His father has worked as a deputy agriculture minister for the Hamas-run government in Gaza."The production team had full editorial control of filming with Abdullah." Child's eye view In a statement, the BBC said: "Since the transmission of our documentary on Gaza, the BBC has become aware of the family connections of the film's narrator, a child called Abdullah."We've promised our audiences the highest standards of transparency, so it is only right that as a result of this new information, we add some more detail to the film before its retransmission. We apologise for the omission of that detail from the original film."It added: "We followed all of our usual compliance procedures in the making of this film, but we had not been informed of this information by the independent producers when we complied and then broadcast the finished film."The film remains a powerful child's eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency."Nandy said the matter was "a conversation I'll definitely be having with the BBC".Speaking to LBC on Thursday, she said: "I watched it last night. It's something that I will be discussing with them, particularly around the way in which they sourced the people who were featured in the programme."These things are difficult, and I do want to acknowledge that for the BBC, they take more care than most broadcasters in terms of the way that they try to portray these things. They've been attacked for being too pro-Gaza, they've been attacked for being anti-Gaza. But it is absolutely essential that we get this right."The documentary, which aired on BBC Two on Monday, was made by Hoyo Films, which has not commented.
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
BBC urged to pull Gaza documentary over revelation about child featured
The BBC has been urged to pull a documentary about Gaza from BBC iPlayer after it emerged that a child in it is the son of a Hamas leader. Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, which aired on Monday on BBC Two, features Abdullah Al-Yazouri as a narrator who speaks about what life is like in the territory amid the war between Israel and Hamas. A letter has been sent by Friday Night Dinner and EastEnders actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, Strike producer Neil Blair, former BBC One controller Danny Cohen and producer Leo Pearlman to BBC director-general Tim Davie, who said Abdullah is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. They say: 'Given the serious nature of these concerns, the BBC should immediately postpone any broadcast repeats of the programme, remove it from iPlayer and take down any social media clips of the programme until an independent investigation is carried out and its findings published with full transparency for licence-fee payers. 'Can the BBC confirm it will take this action?' They have raised concerns about the 'editorial standards of this programme and the BBC's compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, its own Editorial Guidelines and English law', and asked for the corporation to answer questions about the documentary. They said: 'Was it known to the BBC that the narrator and principal contributor of the documentary, Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of a senior leader of the proscribed terrorist group, Hamas? 'If the BBC was aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri was the son of a terrorist leader, why was this not disclosed to audiences during the programme? 'If the BBC was not aware that Abdullah Al-Yazouri is the son of a terrorist leader, what diligence checks were undertaken and why did they fail?' They also raised concerns about due diligence, whether his parents signed a release for him to appear, and asked if they were given permission by Hamas to make the documentary, which was produced by production company Hoyo Films. The letter to the BBC was also addressed to the corporation's chief content officer Charlotte Moore and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness. In a statement on Thursday, the BBC said: 'Since the transmission of our documentary on Gaza, the BBC has become aware of the family connections of the film's narrator, a child called Abdullah. 'We've promised our audiences the highest standards of transparency, so it is only right that as a result of this new information, we add some more detail to the film before its retransmission. We apologise for the omission of that detail from the original film.' The BBC said the new text attached to the film reads: 'The narrator of this film is 13 year old Abdullah. His father has worked as a deputy agriculture minister for the Hamas-run government in Gaza. The production team had full editorial control of filming with Abdullah.' 'We followed all of our usual compliance procedures in the making of this film, but we had not been informed of this information by the independent producers when we complied and then broadcast the finished film,' the statement added. 'The film remains a powerful child's eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency.' London-based Hoyo Films has previously made BBC documentary Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods, which was filmed by Ukrainian soldiers amid the war with Russia. Since October 2023, when Hamas attacked festivalgoers and Israeli settlers, more than 48,000 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The militant group is currently releasing hostages to Israel in a truce agreement with the Middle Eastern country.
