Sleep deprivation TV show faces watchdog probe
TV sleep-deprivation show Shattered is being investigated by a media watchdog after sparking a number of complaints from viewers, it emerged today.
New British government regulator Ofcom will probe the Channel 4 reality programme, which challenges competitors to stay awake for a week.
The show, which concludes tonight as the final three contestants compete for £97,000 (€140,000) prize money, has been accused of exploiting participants and endangering their health.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “We have had 11 complaints about the programme and we are looking into it.”
The spokesman said he could not go into the details of the complaints until the investigation had drawn conclusions, but said they related to “the nature of the programme”.
Over the past six days, Shattered contestants have been put through a series of endurance tests, including watching paint dry for one hour.
Each day, the worst-performing contestant has been eliminated.
Last night 33-year-old youth worker Jimmy Burke, from Brighton, East Sussex, became the latest to pack his bags after coming last in a reaction test.
Although billed as the ultimate exercise in sleep deprivation, Shattered competitors have been allowed occasional catnaps agreed by the producers.
But over the course of the week, they have complained of hallucinations, exhaustion and paranoia.
Psychologists have criticised the show and accused programme makers of putting contestants’ health at risk.
Dr Gary Wood, social psychologist at the University of Birmingham, said earlier: “Any programme which gets to the stage it causes people to hallucinate would seem to be a worrying sign that this has gone past the boundaries of entertainment.
“If we are making people uncomfortable and altering their state of consciousness. It is very dangerous. It is humiliation TV."
A spokesman for Channel 4 said: "The welfare of our participants is of the utmost importance to us and we have gone to great lengths to ensure their health and safety.
“There is a team of medical experts on hand who are monitoring the participants throughout each day and who have the power to pull any of the participants from the show if they feel they can’t cope any more.
“We are very happy with the way the show is going and have had positive feedback from each of the eliminated participants.”
Shattered concludes tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
