BGT misled its viewers over act that used 2 dogs instead of one
BRITAIN’S Got Talent viewers were duped when this year’s winner swapped her dog for a stunt double in the final, the TV watchdog ruled.
Ofcom said the broadcaster ‘materially misled’ audiences – and ITV now faces paying up to £50,000 to refund viewers’ votes.
But dog t r ai ner Jules O’Dwyer – who won the contest with her border collie Matisse – will not be stripped of her £250,000 prize money or the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show.
The 49- year- old’s victory sparked a backlash after she later admitted using a standin for Matisse during part of the performance.
The news sparked 1,175 complaints from viewers who felt they had been tricked.
Miss O’Dwyer’s act saw her dressed as a policewoman, sending Matisse to chase after a ‘ sausage thief ’ played by three-legged dog Skippy.
But viewers were not told that when Matisse disappeared behind a door he was switched for virtually identical pet Chase, who then performed a tricky tight-rope walk before disappearing through a window. Matisse, who is scared of heights, then ran back out of the door to finish the rou-
‘No intention to mislead’
tine without viewers seeing the change. Chase was not revealed to the judges or viewers at the end of the performance, but his part emerged in the days after the final.
One disgruntled viewer tweeted: ‘BGT do you not feel you conned us with Jules and Matisse? We were never told before voting a secret stunt double would be used.’ The Ofcom report, released yesterday, said decisions had been made by producers that obscured the truth from viewers – although this was not intentional. These included the naming of the act as ‘Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse’, giving the impression that one dog would perform all the tricks.
In addition, presenters Ant and Dec introduced the performers as a ‘double act’ and a short film before they went on stage did not feature Chase.
An Ofcom spokesman said that while ITV broke broadcasting rules by not making it clear that the stunt double was used, there was ‘no intention to deceive the audience’.
The spokesman added: ‘Broadcasters inviting viewers to vote using premium rate numbers have a particular responsibility to ensure the audience is clear about what they are voting for.’
ITV has agreed to i ssue refunds on request – but only to those who voted for Jules and Matisse. Most voted using the show’s f ree app, but around 100,000 viewers voted for the pair by phone – which cost 50p from a BT landline.
An ITV spokesman said the show’s production team had apologised for the confusion, adding: ‘There was never any intention to mislead viewers.
‘However, we accept that some viewers who voted for the winning act by a paid voting route may wish to seek a refund.’
Details of how to obtain a refund can be found on the ITV website.