ITV has dropped threats of legal action against Channel 4 over allegations that stars of Coronation Street were breaching marketing rules by promoting companies on Twitter in exchange for gifts. The allegations were made in the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary Celebs, Brands And Fake Fans, which featured ITV actors accepting gifts from a stall created […]
ITV has dropped threats of legal action against Channel 4 over allegations that stars of Coronation Street were breaching marketing rules by promoting companies on Twitter in exchange for gifts.
The allegations were made in the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary Celebs, Brands And Fake Fans, which featured ITV actors accepting gifts from a stall created by an undercover investigative team, and then tweeting about them to say thank you.
ITV have said they will not be taking legal action against Channel 4, after it claimed that the ‘more serious allegations’ were removed from the final programme.
Coronation Street stars were covertly filmed receiving fake beauty products from a fictitious firm set up by filmmakers.
Some of the actors later tweeted about the products, which included fake “mystique spray” and a bottle of toner that contained only water.
A spokesman for the broadcaster told The Sun: “We took legal steps which resulted in Dispatchesmaking changes – a number of the most serious and defamatory allegations against those featured were not broadcast. If any Coronation Street viewers happened to be watching the last part of this hour-long special they would have seen it for what it was – a stunt.”
A Channel 4 spokesman said: “We firmly stand by our journalism. No substantial editorial changes were made to the structure of the programme.”
Watch a trailer for the programme here:
The programme is currently available to watch on 4OD here
