ITV deceptions exposed

[reinganum]

What is your reaction to tonight's news about the exposure of the deceptions practised by ITV programmes?
This is nothing short of a scandal. I would be very interested to hear other ABers views, particularly from 'insiders'.

[fletcher.5]

What a joke
Grade is upset about the situation ( he is now)
The findings have been described as a cultural failure to the tune of nearly �8 m
Everybody who rang up will be refunded ????

Lets put it in its proper perspective.

ITV have also been found out about their scam & Grade is trying to save face. The cultural failure, as it is called, is actually fraud to the tune of �8m, which carries a heavier sentence than murder.
However, there are some people who consider TV to be their real world, & these greedy capitalist money grabbing ******** take them for ALL they can. Hopefully, these couch potatoes will actually take on board that they are easy prey to the likes of these TV showsand view the rest of the ***** that is on offer.

[fletcher.5]

I can not describe how traumitised I am. After the event of 1991 I could not believe that a show hosted by Richard Madeley was involved in a phone scam.
I will have to leave now as i am due for a bit of counseling from my counciler who used to work in Tesco`s

[LeMarchand]

The biggest scandal is that some people were stupid enough to think that they weren't scams in the first place.

[Octavius]

I agree with Le Marchand. It is hardly a surprising shock revelation now is it.

[squarebear]

I'm with LeMarchand too. Anyone who phones these things really does need their head testing.

[brionon]

The Police will investigate-'If asked to !' Why must they be asked ?

[reinganum]

I quite agree with the people who have replied so far. One point: those late-night phone-in "quizzes" were always so obviously a fiddle that anyone entering seriously needed their head examining.

It was not those silly late-night shows I was really referring to. It was the fact that this scandal also affected the 'mainstream' competitions and talent/reality shows, where the voting public were effectively ignored and, because money was involved in the phone calls, defrauded.

Basically the fault lies fairly and squarely with the producers. They do not trust the public to choose the "right" winners and that is what infuriated me. Who is to say who is the "right" winner? If the public are to be involved, then the answer to that one is � the public.

[DanFlo]

First of all let me say i consider most people on AB quite intelligent its the answers that give it away, not the questions. I've watched GMTV and the comps that they have been running for years must attract thousands of phone calls but they end up with that pathetic top hat with a few peices of paper in it to make a draw for the winner, anybody notice that? If i paid �1.00 to have a go on the lottery and my ticket was discarded before the draw there would be hell to pay. ALL these comps are aimed at the intuectually challenged in this country and the TV companies know that.

[Gromit]

There are laws however designed to protect the stupid and gullible from having their money stolen. ITV have been found to have stolen in excess of �8 Million. A mere fine and wrist slap is not enough. The money trail leading mostly to independent producers, (Ant and Dec et al) should be followed, and long prison sentences and the assets stripped of the culprits should be the results.

Promising to pay back everyone now that the crime has been discovered is laughable. I expect every embezzler, bank robber and thief wish they had the same 'Stay Out of Jail' Card.