Ex-refugee writer refused entry to see his London play sets 'a worrying precedent'
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Daily Record
13 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Channel 4 faces major backlash over controversial Bonnie Blue documentary
Channel 4 has faced backlash from advertisers as they demand their ads are pulled from it's controversial documentary 1000 Men and Me: the Bonnie Blue Story, which aired last week Channel 4 is facing pressure from advertisers demanding that their ads are removed from its controversial Bonnie Blue documentary. The programme titled 1000 Men and Me: the Bonnie Blue Story, aired last week and followed the content creator as she exposed the dark reality of her X-rated videos. Now, businesses have asked for their ads to be removed from the documentary featured on Channel 4 on Demand -including card payment business Visa, juice maker Cawston Press and vodka brand Smirnoff. It was reported by The Times that the brands did not want their products promoted during the programme as it does not align with their values or advertising guidelines. The documentary about Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, has sparked backlash for including explicit sex scenes - most notably a scene in which the adult content creator films a sex tape alongside two others from the porn industry, the Mirror reports. A Channel 4 spokesperson said in a statement: "We take great care to ensure that advertising is appropriately placed across all programming, particularly where content may be sensitive or potentially contentious. "In the case of 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story, the programme was reviewed in advance of transmission to ensure advertising was suitable. Several brands and categories were excluded to avoid inappropriate juxtapositions." They continued: "Channel 4 is a commercially funded public service broadcaster. We use commercial revenues such as advertising to make programmes that deliver our remit to create change through entertainment across a wide range of issues. Our programming is created independently from our commercial operation." Dam Rachel de Souza, a children's commissioner, has hit out at the documentary, claiming that it risked affecting efforts to protect teenagers from online porn. She stated: "For years we have been fighting to protect our children from the kind of degrading, violent sex that exists freely on their social media feeds. "This documentary risks taking us a step back by glamorising, even normalising, the things young people tell me are frightening, confusing and damaging to their relationships," she concluded. Earlier this week, the shadow Home Office minister expressed outrage that children can still access the Bonnie Blue documentary online, despite recently introduced strict age checks designed to block access to pornographic content. Although Channel 4 requires users to be at least 16 to create an account, the lack of a robust age verification system allows minors to easily input false birth dates to view the show. "It seems bizarre to me," Home Office minister Katie Lam said on Times Radio. "There is clearly a consistency problem both in terms of content and in terms of platform." Ofcom has not yet confirmed whether it will launch a formal investigation into Channel 4's broadcast of the documentary but stated that it is "assessing the complaints against [its] rules." In response, Channel 4 maintained that the programme was "compliant with the Ofcom broadcasting code". The broadcaster also defended its decision to make the documentary about the adult star, who claims to have slept with 1,057 men in 12 hours. Commissioning Editor Tim Hancock said: "I believe it is Channel 4's job to tell stories like this, trying to get behind the truth of the headlines. We film real stories in real time. We are very proud to do films like this."
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Channel 4 hit with huge blow after airing 'degrading' Bonnie Blue documentary
Channel 4 has reportedly lost advertisers over airing its controversial documentary 1000 Men and Me: the Bonnie Blue Story last week as they demand ads be pulled from show Channel 4 has lost advertisers after airing its Bonnie Blue documentary, with businesses reportedly demanding that their adverts be removed from the controversial documentary. Channel 4's 1000 Men and Me: the Bonnie Blue Story aired last week and followed the content creator as she showed the dark reality behind her X-rated videos. Now, businesses have reportedly asked for their adverts to be removed from the documentary online - including card payment business Visa, juice maker Cawston Press and vodka brand Smirnoff. The Times reported that the brands did not want their products promoted during the programme as it did not align with their advertising guidelines or values. The documentary about Bonnie Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, faced criticism for featuring explicit sex scenes - including one where the adult content creator films a sex tape with two others in the porn industry. It comes after one Mirror writer claimed 'the new Bonnie Blue documentary may be the worst thing I've ever seen on Channel 4'. The Mirror has reached out to Channel 4 for comment. Children's commissioner Dam Rachel de Souza has hit out at the documentary, claiming that it risked damaging efforts to protect teenagers from online porn. "For years we have been fighting to protect our children from the kind of degrading, violent sex that exists freely on their social media feeds," she told the publication. "This documentary risks taking us a step back by glamorising, even normalising, the things young people tell me are frightening, confusing and damaging to their relationships." Earlier this week, the shadow Home Office minister fumed over the fact that children can watch the Bonnie Blue documentary online despite new stringent age checks that are meant to stop them from accessing pornography. While the Channel requires viewers to be at least 16 to create an account, the absence of a robust age verification system allows minors to falsify their birth dates to watch the show. "It seems bizarre to me," Home Office minister Katie Lam said on Times Radio. "There is clearly a consistency problem both in terms of content and in terms of platform." Ofcom has not yet revealed whether it will investigate Channel 4 airing the documentary but said it was "assessing the complaints against [its] rules". Meanwhile, Channel 4 said that the programme was "compliant with the Ofcom broadcasting code". Channel 4 defended the decision to make the documentary about the adult star, who boasts of sleeping with 1,057 men in 12 hours. Commissioning Editor Tim Hancock said: "I believe it is Channel 4's job to tell stories like this, trying to get behind the truth of the headlines. We film real stories in real time. We are very proud to do films like this."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Bonnie Blue doc fury as kids can watch despite strict new porn age-check rules
Channel 4 is facing probes by politicians and broadcasting regulator Ofcom over the documentary about the former Only Fans content creator, who claims to have had sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours The shadow Home Office minister has labelled it 'bizarre' that children can view a TV documentary about sex marathon star Bonnie Blue, despite new stringent age checks designed to prevent them from accessing pornography. Channel 4 is currently under scrutiny by lawmakers and Ofcom, the broadcasting watchdog, for airing a show about the ex-Only Fans content creator who boasts of sleeping with 1,057 men in just 12 hours. Despite the channel's policy requiring viewers to be at least 16 to create an account, the absence of a robust age verification system allows minors to simply falsify their birth dates to gain access. It comes after Katie Price worries fans with appearance in family photo after explaining weight loss. The programme, which includes explicit scenes of Bonnie nude, engaging in sexual acts, and creating adult films with other porn stars, seems to contradict the Government's fresh Online Safety Act that mandates age verification to block underage users from adult content websites. When quizzed on Times Radio about the feasibility of a credible online safety framework given the ease of accessing such material on a public broadcaster's platform, shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam remarked: "It seems bizarre to me," reports the Daily Star. She added, "There is clearly a consistency problem both in terms of content and in terms of platform." However, Channel 4 has defended its streaming service, insisting that it employs industry-standard controls to prevent those under 18 from viewing content that's not suitable for their age group. Bonnie Blue - whose real name is Tia Billinger from Nottinghamshire - has boasted of raking in as much as £1.5 million monthly through the OnlyFans platform via publicity stunts including her world record bid to sleep with the maximum number of men within a 24-hour period - until she received a ban from the platform. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson admitted she hadn't realised just how accessible the documentary was for viewers to watch. When questioned whether Channel 4 had erred in airing the programme and if Ofcom ought to step in, she responded: "That's an important question that I think is worth considering." She continued: "I am very happy to go away and consider that.". The spokesman said: "I haven't actually clicked on in the way that you suggested is available.". The spokesman said: "But I'm very happy to do that and to look and to raise it with the technology secretary Peter Kyle." Fresh legislation called the Online Safety Act came into force last week, aimed at safeguarding youngsters on the internet by establishing fresh regulations for social media platforms and search engines. The most robust safeguards within the legislation were crafted to stop children from viewing dangerous and unsuitable material. This encompassed age checks for adult websites like YouPorn. The documentary - titled 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story - tracks the influencer as cameras document her everyday existence. The documentary synopsis reveals that it delves 'behind the headlines, clickbait and rage bait to discover what life's really like in Bonnie's wild orbit, how she got here and what's really going on behind those steely blue eyes'. It also probes the contentious question surrounding her - is she a 'dangerous predator' pandering to male fantasies and perpetuating the patriarchy, or an empowered, sex-positive businesswoman having the last laugh? Audiences were taken aback by the content. One viewer expressed their shock on Twitter: "Literally 3 seconds in and Bonnie Blue is already disgusting." Before its release, director Victoria Silver emphasised the importance of explicit scenes for the documentary. She stated: "If I was making a film about a musician or some other kind of performer their work would be in there.". The spokesman said: "I think it's really important to see what she does." Channel 4's commissioning editor Tim Hancock argued that it was the broadcaster's 'job to tell stories like this that are at the edge of modern morality'.
