Channel Five has been fined a record £300,000 by media watchdog Ofcom for faking winners on its Brainteaser quiz show, it was announced on Tuesday. It is the largest financial penalty ever imposed on a public service broadcaster. Five was found to have breached the broadcasting code, which states that competitions should be conducted fairly, on five separate occasions this year during Brainteaser. Viewers were charged 75p to call the premium-rate phone line and solve a word puzzle on the weekday quiz show. When the audience failed to get the right answer, names of fictional winners were listed on screen. On one occasion, a member of the production crew went on air posing as a 'winning contestant'. Five chief executive Jane Lighting said the broadcaster was disappointed by the size of the fine. The channel has blamed production company Endemol, maker of Big Brother, for the problems. "Five has always accepted that breaches occurred with regard to Brainteaser. However, we are disappointed with the very high level of the financial penalty imposed, especially as we believe Five took all reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure the programme complied with the Ofcom Code," Ms Lighting said in a statement. "We welcome Ofcom's acknowledgment that Five acted in good faith at all times, did not intend to deceive the audience and took comprehensive steps to remedy harm and that it was not Five's intention to cause financial harm to viewers nor procure greater financial gain." The watchdog is investigating several shows caught up in the premium rate phone-line scandal earlier this year.
