BBC Studios-run channel Drama has been found in breach of Ofcom’s Broadcast Code after offensive language was broadcast within the subtitles of a popular drama series.
Casualty, which has been a part of the UK television landscape since 1986, receives regular daytime showings on Drama.
While the episode broadcast on 12 June 2023 did not contain any offensive language in the audio track, two instances of the word fu**ing remained within the subtitles.
Ofcom said the matter raised issues within the Broadcasting Code and was told by the channel that it had outsourced its subtitling to Red Bee Media with whom it had raised the issue as soon as they became aware. It was explained that Red Bee has “a number of processes and checks in place that should have prevented this word from erroneously appearing in the subtitles”, including the time of transmission being “visible to the subtitler”, profanity checks and written guidance
BBC Studios subsidiary UKTV said that, in this case, “the subtitler responsible did not follow the agreed procedures” and that “they did not check the broadcast time and wrongly assumed that the programme was scheduled post-watershed”.
It pointed out this was the first time there had been an issue of this type.
The regulator considered that as it was a pre-recorded programme there was the opportunity to check the material and there were no mitigating circumstance to take into account.
