Media regulator Ofcom has been asked to investigate ITV following strong condemnation by Tory MPs of a ‘silly’ stunt in which veteran presenter Philip Schofield presented the Prime Minister with a list of alleged paedophiles live on air.
Conservative MP Rob Wilson has asked Ofcom to investigate the matter further claiming that ITV had a duty to warn individuals in advance of onscreen accusations and a number of complaints were made by viewers.
Schofield has already been forced to apologise for his dramatic intervention, broadcast to hundreds of thousands during a live spot on daytime television and subsequently disseminated across the net.
Some viewers claim to have been able to read the note after it was briefly flashed on screen during a clumsy handover.
Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green told BBC Question Time: "I think the stunt that Phillip Schofield pulled of presenting a list of names he had taken off the internet to the Prime Minister live on television was a tasteless and silly stunt and he should not have done it."
UPDATED: An Ofcom spokesperson told The Drum: "No decision has been made yet to investigate.
"All we can do at this stage is confirm that we received complaints, which are currently being assessed; but just to reiterate, no decision has yet been made to investigate."