LONDON, ENGLAND — A newsmagazine-style program that featured explicit graphics and frank discussions of sexuality in an educational context has been cleared of wrongdoing by Britain’s media regulator.Ofcom ruled Channel 4’s “Sex Education Show” conformed to all applicable rules and regulations governing public broadcasts by airing pre-transmission warnings about the series’ subject matter, using words like “revealing” and “frank.” The program’s title should have been a dead give away too, the regulator noted.
The series of six installments aired in the 8:00 p.m. timeslot when younger viewers could watch. That coupled, with close-ups of male and female genitalia, nudity and images of the effects of sexually transmitted diseases precipitated 152 official complaints between September 9th and October 14th.
“While the nature of the images and discussions were frank, the series’ overall focus was clearly on the educational aspects of sex and could not reasonably be described as salacious or gratuitous,” Ofcom officials noted in their ruling. “Ofcom therefore bore in mind that the series was attempting to examine sex and sexual health issues in an accessible way that would engage viewers.”
Channel 4 management said they were gratified by the regulator’s acceptance of their motivation and goals in airing the series.
“The explosion in sexually transmitted infections and underage pregnancies in Britain illustrates that there is still a dearth of clear, straightforward information about sex,” Walter Iuzzolino, Channel 4’s deputy head of features, told the Guardian. “Against this backdrop, it was important for a public service broadcaster such as Channel 4 to commission a series of this nature and schedule it at an appropriate time and in an appropriate way.”
Ofcom indicated broadcasters’ ability to explore controversy and issues of widespread social significance was of “paramount importance” in its consideration of the “Sex Education Show” complaints. However, Ofcom also indicated broadcasters should not push the envelope much farther. The “Sex Education Show” was at “the edge of acceptability,” the regulator noted, and without the diligent establishment of “strong context,” the regulator’s decision may have been much different.
