British TV and radio stations will now be explicitly required to protect the mental health and wellbeing of individuals who take part in their shows, under new rules introduced by Ofcom. The regulator launched a review of existing protections due to growing concern about the welfare of broadcast participants and a steady rise in complaints.
Regulations around reality television came under renewed scrutiny after the death of former ITV Love Island contestant Mike Thalassitis in March 2019. He was the second cast member from the show to take his own life, following Sophie Gradon in June 2018. After Thalassitis's death, ITV said it would increase support and advice for contestants.
The Commons digital, culture, media and sport select committee also launched an inquiry into the wider reality TV industry after the death of Steve Dymond, who died shortly after failing a lie detector test on The Jeremy Kyle Show. Many former reality stars contacted the committee to raise concerns.
The new safeguards mean broadcasters must take due care over the welfare of people who might be at risk of significant harm as a result of taking part in any radio or TV shows. Ofcom said the measures are aimed at protecting “vulnerable people and others not used to being in the public eye”. If a show is likely to attract high social media interest or features conflict or disclosure of personal information, support must be in place.
Participants must also be informed about potential welfare risks and any steps the broadcaster intends to take to mitigate them. Adam Baxter, Ofcom’s director of standards and audience protection, said: “People taking part in TV and radio programmes deserve to be properly looked after. Our new protections set a clear standard of care for broadcasters to meet – striking a careful balance between broadcasters’ creative freedom and the welfare of the people they feature.”
The measures will apply to programmes that begin production on or after Monday 5 April 2021. Ofcom will publish associated guidance for broadcasters before then.
