BBC's GPCC report criticises 'Nap Attack'

BBC's GPCC report criticises 'Nap Attack'

MUMBAI: The BBC Governors have published the latest findings of their Programme Complaints Committee - for the period 1 October to 31 December 2004.

The Governors' Programme Complaints Committee (GPCC) is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of complaints handling by the BBC, including hearing appeals from complainants who are not happy with the responses they have received from BBC management.

The GPCC, considered 14 appeals in the above mentioned quarter. 13 were related to matters of fairness and accuracy and one concerned matters of taste and decency. After careful consideration the GPCC upheld in part one appeal.

The complaint that was partially upheld related to the special 2002 Greatest TV Moments. A clip from the show Nap Attack was shown. It generated uproarious laughter from the studio audience. The complain was that the lampooning nature of Nap Attack had encouraged the general public to ridicule and humiliate vulnerable people suffering from a serious medical condition.

The Committee decided that it had been inappropriate to show the clip in question out of context. In the original programme, the audience had been attuned to the situation faced by the principal contributors. They had been made aware of how traumatic and debilitating narcolepsy could be for sufferers.

The audience of 2002 Greatest TV Moments knew nothing about the condition or the effect it had on sufferers’ lives. Because the clip had been presented out of its original context, the audience had reacted to it with laughter.