A British media watchdog group said that broadcaster ITV and Britain’s Got Talent crossed a line when it aired a burlesque striptease performer during a time when children may be watching.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, British TV regulator Ofcom censured ITV for broadcasting a companion show to Simon Cowell’s Britain’s Got Talent that featured a contestant who stripped while singing “The Bare Necessities” from the Disney film The Jungle Book. Ofcom found that ITV2’s Britain’s Got More Talent “clearly crossed the line” by including this performer at a time when children could be watching.
The BBC reports that the sequence, which aired back in April, began with dancer Scarlet telling the crowd, “Have I given you a clue, ladies and gentlemen?” before she began the song. Host Stephen Mulhern is then seen holding a card that says “Get ‘Em Off.” She then turns her back to the crowd and unzips her dress.
Ofcom said that ITV showed seconds of her bare, naked bottom, which was inappropriate for children, even if ITV pixelated it.
“While some viewers may find any burlesque performance unsuitable for children simply by virtue of the 'sexualised' nature of burlesque itself, Britain's Got Talent has featured a number of similar acts over the years,” ITV said in its defense. It “did not consider that this performance would have exceeded the likely expectations of the vast majority of the audience.”
ITV did issue an apology, agreeing that not all parents would have found it appropriate and “regretted any offence caused” by the scene.
image: Fox