Ronan and Gail get grilling over TV outburst
Ronan Keating and Gail Porter have been reprimanded by media watchdogs in the UK after a caller swore at them during a TV phone-in.
The pair were hosting a live edition of OK TV when a woman calling herself Jemma from Cambridgeshire rang in.
When the presenters asked her what her question was, she said: “Why is OK TV so f***ing s**t?”
Their guest, Atomic Kitten Jenny Frost, burst out laughing.
Keating looked stunned and Porter told viewers: “I think Jemma did swear there and if she did, then we’re terribly sorry.”
Media regulator Ofcom criticised the duo today for failing to issue a proper apology during the ITV show, which filled in for This Morning during the February.
“While acknowledging the procedures ITV had put in place, we agreed that the language had been inappropriate for this time of day and the type of programme,” Ofcom said.
“The response of the presenters to the incident had also been ill-judged and inadequate – although they realised belatedly that the caller had sworn, their reaction was flippant and dismissive.”
ITV said all phone-in callers were screened before going on air but this caller had “slipped through the net”.
“Although an on-air apology was given immediately, ITV did recognise that there were shortcomings in the reaction to, and the handling of, the incident,” ITV said.
“Following the programme, the presentation team was given a reinforced briefing on dealing with such situations.”
Elsewhere in Ofcom’s report, outgoing BBC Radio 1 presenter Mark Radcliffe was censured for using the f-word on his afternoon show.
And ITV was found to be in breach of programme guidelines for showing the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Kindergarten Cop on a Sunday teatime.
Five viewers complained it was unsuitable for children and Ofcom agreed that close-ups of shootings, punch-ups and blood trails were unsuitable for a young audience.
