Posted on 07/24/2003 10:09:58 AM PDT by lainie
Channel 4 is planning an hour-long documentary on the predilection of BBC presenters for taking cocaine, in what is already being described as a classic piece of broadcasting hypocrisy.
Frank Bough, Angus Deayton and Johnnie Walker are among the high-profile BBC presenters whose drug-related downfalls will be charted in the programme, to be called Snorting Coke with the BBC.
In it Channel 4 will take a critical look at the way the broadcaster has dealt with high-profile employees who are caught using the drug.
"We thought it would be interesting to look at the well-known characters who have suffered drug taking scandals," said a Channel 4 spokesman.
"We wanted to look at what the way the BBC deals with these situations tells you about the broadcaster."
Lorraine Heggessey, whose televised apology to the nation's children for Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon's drug taking five years ago made the BBC a laughing stock, agreed to be interviewed for the documentary.
"We live in the 21st century. The reality is that people will take drugs; they will do these sorts of things. I think the viewing public is well aware of that," said the BBC1 controller.
"I think most of them are sophisticated enough to understand the decisions we have made, and I don't think we have been damaged by it."
BBC insiders questioned Channel 4's decision to single out the corporation.
"It is a bit strange. [Cocaine] is a fact of life in the TV industry, it's not like it just happens at the BBC," said one.
But a BBC spokeswoman insisted the corporation was not concerned about the programme.
"They approached us about a documentary they were doing about presenters behaving badly," she said.
"Lorraine took part, talking about Richard Bacon and Angus Deayton. We felt we were very upfront in both these instances about why we did what we did.
"It is just about the BBC but if a programme like this is going to be made, you might as well get your point of view across and set the record straight."
Many of the stars who feature have made remarkable recoveries. Bacon has now returned to the BBC as a presenter of Top of the Pops while Deayton, who was forced out of comedy quiz programme Have I Got News for You after tabloid revelations about his drug taking, was back working for the BBC within weeks of his sacking.
But Bough, the former Grandstand and Breakfast Time presenter who was sacked in 1988 after admitting he had attended cocaine and sex parties, had to move to independent television to revive his career.
The programme will claim this demonstrates the BBC's changing attitudes to the drug.
But according to the Daily Mirror editor. Piers Morgan, who also appears in the film, the corporation had no choice but to soften its stance.
"Frankly, if you made class A drug abuse a barrier to being a BBC presenter, then I'm afraid you'd be left with probably Moira Stuart and that's about it," he says.
· Richard Bacon will be talking to Michael Barrymore at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival for a session entitled Presenters Behaving Badly.
ananova.com synopsis:
Channel 4 is planning an hour-long documentary on cocaine taking among BBC presenters.
Frank Bough, Angus Deayton and Johnnie Walker are among the high-profile presenters whose downfalls will be charted in Snorting Coke with the BBC, reports Media Guardian.
In it, Channel 4 will claim drug abuse is endemic at the BBC, and take a critical look at the way the broadcaster has dealt with presenters caught using the drug.
"We thought it would be fun to look at the well-known characters who have suffered drug taking scandals," said a Channel 4 spokesman.
"We wanted to look at what the way the BBC deals with these situations tells you about the broadcaster."
BBC insiders questioned Channel 4's decision to single out the corporation.
"It is a bit strange. Cocaine is a fact of life in the TV industry, it's not like it just happens at the BBC," said one.
But a BBC spokeswoman insisted the corporation was not concerned about the programme.
Wouldn't this be the norm if cocaine were legal?
Ho-hum ... this would just be another result should the HoD (Hyperbole on Drugs) win out ...
Hmm ... no effect - then WHY even take the d*mn drugs!
Sheesh! This Hod (Hyperbole on Drugs) may turn out to be just so much hot air!
Too bad no one speaks about the coddling of America's drug taking media types.
Strange question; I'll bet some BBC presenters drink, and I'll bet it's not in order to affect their job performance.
Fill me in: how are they coddled?
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