Daytime shows breach BBC rules

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The episode in question was first broadcast last July

The BBC Trust has found daytime show Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting in breach of guidelines after a cameraman posed as a member of the public.

Other daytime shows Trash for Cash and Dealers: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, were also found in breach.

The nine errors included off-screen purchases by production staff which affected on-screen challenges.

The BBC suspended its contract with Reef Television, which made the shows, but has now reinstated the company.

During the suspension, Reef Television was required to overhaul its compliance processes and editorial standards training.

In a statement, the BBC said: "Following a rigorous and thorough process, the BBC is now satisfied that the company has compliance procedures and training of an appropriate standard."

The BBC said Reef would resume work on two existing BBC projects and be free to pitch new work to the BBC in future.

BBC’s responsibility

The corporation will then review Reef Television’s editorial standards performance in six months’ time.

In Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting, contestants head abroad to find bargains and then try to sell them on a London market stall.

A production team member who was seen buying an item was passed off as a member of the public.

The Trust concluded that viewers had been misled and that the BBC was unaware of Reef’s practices.

Richard Tait, chair of the Trust’s Editorial Standards Committee which considered the results of the investigation, said: "Although they occurred in programming made by a third party, it is ultimately the BBC’s responsibility as the broadcaster to make sure that the editorial guidelines are adhered to, regardless of a programme’s provenance."

The programmes involved will not be broadcast again by the BBC.