Complaint
These programmes included interviews with Sir Brian May (along with another opponent of badger-culling, in the case of Steffan Powell) about his forthcoming documentary Brian May: The Badgers, The Farmers and Me. A representative of the National Farmers’ Union complained that the interviews lacked due impartiality and accuracy in relation to badgers and bovine TB. The ECU considered the complaints in the light of the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú’s editorial standards of impartiality and accuracy. He and another viewer also complained about the documentary itself, which was broadcast on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Two on 3 August 2024.
Outcome
The issues of complaint about the documentary were addressed in a previously-published finding at
/contact/ecu/brian-may-the-badgers-the-farmers-and-me-bbc-two-23-august-2024.
In relation to the other three programmes, the ECU acknowledged that some viewpoints relevant to the debate badgers and bovine TB were not represented, but considered the audience would not expect interviews with the presenter of an upcoming documentary to include the same balancing elements as it would expect in the documentary itself, and that the elements of challenge in the interviews, combined with signposting of the forthcoming broadcast of the documentary where appropriate, satisfied the requirements of due impartiality in these contexts. The ECU found no inaccuracies which would have materially affected viewers’ or listeners’ understanding of the matters under discussion.
Not upheld