Ali G and Borat would never get on TV today because 'these days you can't mislead people', says Channel 4 boss
- Participants now need to be told of how participation could affect their welfare
Spoof comedies like Ali G and Borat would never be aired today because 'these days you can't mislead people in the same way', a boss at Channel 4 has said in light of new regulations.
Changes to broadcasting rules under Ofcom, which tightened its rules on consumer welfare back in 2020, mean that prank shows where contributors are purposefully fooled, including the anarchic parody news comedy Brass Eye, are off the cards.
Those who participate in programmes now need to be 'be informed about potential risks arising from their participation in the programme which may affect their welfare' in advance of filming, a top executive for the broadcaster said.
This means Sacha Baron Cohen would no longer be able to interview members of the public as his fictional characters Ali G and Borat to purposefully fool them.
Alf Lawrie, the head of factual entertainment at the broadcaster, told the Times: 'You can't make Ali G, Borat or Brass Eye now because the rules have changed. You can't hoodwink people on the same grand scale.
Sacha Baron Cohen would no longer be able to fool members of the public as his fictional character Ali G (pictured) without their consent, a boss at Channel 4 has said
When the first Borat was filmed, members of the public involved in filming may have had 'no idea' he was a fictional character pretending to be from Kazakhstan
Changes to Ofcom rules mean that prank shows where contributors are purposefully fooled, such as Brass Eye (pictured), are off the cards
'TV has become a slightly more regulated environment than it was 20 years ago.
'When you were making Borat 20 years ago, you could pretend quite seriously that he was from Kazakhstan and until it aired they had no idea otherwise. These days you can't mislead people in the same way.'
The Ali G show saw Baron Cohen pretends to be a wannabe gangster from Staines where he would approach members of the public and try to embarrass them by getting them to agree with a shocking insult or an inaccurate fact.
Similarly in Borat, the actor and writer pretends to be a reporter from Kazakhstan in America, pranking people while pretending to know little about US culture.
Mr Lawrie's comments come ahead of Channel 4's new mockumentary Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat which focuses on a fictional story that human flesh is being created for human consumption to help people battle with the soaring cost of living.
Throughout the show, members of the public will taste-test food being told it has been made from other people, before being told the truth.
They are then asked to sign a consent form before appearing in the show.
The deeper meaning behind the new programme is open to 'interpretation', the Channel 4 boss said.
'Are we commenting on the amorality of big business, are we commenting on the desperation of the poor right now?,' Mr Lawrie added.
A number of programmes have been scrapped from streaming services over the last few years.
Little Britain was removed from Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox amid the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, for its offensive blackface scenes.
It remained off-air until last year when it returned to screens with the sections of the show using blackface being cut by producers. It also had advisory warnings slapped on some of the episodes.
Similarly parts, Peep Show had scenes edited out of an episode after Robert Webb appeared in blackface.
