THERE are calls for the BBC to launch an investigation into claims members of staff were planted into the audience of a Northern Irish TV show.
According to The Irish News, members of staff from BBC Northern Ireland were placed into the audience of Nolan Live and told to report back to production staff if they spotted “someone feisty”.
It comes after the same newspaper reported that Stephen Nolan, the programme’s namesake and the BBC’s fifth highest-paid presenter, send sexually explicit images to colleagues.
A spokesperson for the Social and Democratic Labour party (SDLP) said: “If it is true that members of a programme’s production team were posing as audience members in a live televised broadcast to generate specific, pre-planned lines of debate or attack against guests then it would fall far below the standards expected of a public broadcaster.”
However, the BBC told The Guardian that the claims were “highly improbable” and refused to open an investigation.
“The claims that have been made about BBC staff contributing to Nolan Live discussions whilst pretending to be members of the public are highly improbable,” a statement from the BBC read.
“We are aware of no evidence to support such allegations or the breach of editorial controls that they would have involved. If such information is made available to us (and it hasn’t been to date) then it will be quickly and thoroughly investigated – just as our audiences would expect.”
“The basic requirement is that claims must be factual in order to be true, and this is the test that we will apply. We take pride in the integrity of BBC programmes and the trust that audiences have in our work.”
The BBC has said it cannot comment on the allegations regarding Nolan’s alleged sending of sexually explicit images as it must consider fairness and confidentiality when handling such a complaint.
So far, Stephen Nolan has made no public comment.
The SDLP followed Sinn Fein in boycotting Nolan’s show in March, citing concerns about editorial balance.
