ASA Adjudications

Channel Four Television Company Ltd t/a E4
124 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 2TX
Number of complaints: 42
Date:14 May 2008
Media:Poster
Sector:Leisure

Ad
Two posters for the television series "Skins".

a. The first poster showed an aerial view of a grimy bathroom setting.  The character "Tony" was shown lying flat out in the bath submerged in water, with his eyes open and his face expressionless.  His skin was pale and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.  Text stated "Skins Brand new series 11 Feb 10pm E4".    

b. The second poster showed the character "Michelle" sitting on the edge of the bed.  Her hair was dishevelled and her eye make-up was smudged.  She wore a vacant expression and was dressed in her underwear.  A black lace boudoir-style bed jacket hung open from her shoulders.  A number of couples were shown embracing at her feet; all were in various stages of undress.  In the background, the character "Sid" was sitting up in the bed and was shown naked with a pillow over his lap.  The wallpaper was shown ripped from the wall in places.  The same text as poster (a) featured at the bottom of the page.


Issue
1. Ten complainants challenged whether poster (a) was offensive and distressing, particularly because it could be seen by children.

2. Two complainants challenged whether poster (a) could encourage emulation by children.

3. The majority of the complainants challenged whether the depiction of nudity and sex in poster (b) was offensive and unsuitable to be seen by children.

4. Two complainants challenged whether poster (b) was irresponsible because it could be seen to condone and/or encourage underage sex.

The CAP Code: 2.2;5.1;9.1;10.1

Response
Channel Four said the drama "Skins" was an emotionally charged and vivid portrayal of a group of fictional young adults in Bristol.  They explained that, although the characters often embraced a party lifestyle, the series clearly depicted the consequences of hedonistic and irresponsible behaviour.  Channel Four said they had been keen to highlight that aspect in the advertising promoting the second series.  They explained that the second series was darker in tone than the first, with the characters facing up to the consequences of the lifestyle they had previously enjoyed.  Channel Four sought to reflect this within the advertising campaign so that potential viewers could decide whether or not to watch it.  They said they deliberately heightened the fictional setting of the characters putting them in disintegrated and chaotic environments to suggest the dramatic disintegration of their lives and the friendships between them.  Channel Four pointed out that both posters carried the E4 logo, the date and post-watershed start time of the programme.    

1. Channel Four explained that the character Tony had been involved in a road accident and the first series ended without revealing whether or not he had survived.  They said the image of Tony submerged in water was therefore deliberately ambiguous and intriguing.  Channel Four pointed out that his body showed no signs of injury and he did not appear to be in distress; the toiletries placed around the edge of the bath suggested that he was bathing.  They said they had not intended to offend or cause distress to those who saw poster (a).

2. Channel Four disagreed that poster (a) could encourage emulation.  They said children were taught from an early age about the dangers of water and the dilapidated nature of the bathroom did not make for a glamorous setting likely to encourage emulation.

3. Channel Four said the image of Michelle and Sid related to the ongoing storyline of the developing, but ultimately empty, relationship between the characters.  Both looked lost, confused and separate from the party going on around them.  Channel Four explained that they had taken care with the siting of the posters so that none were placed near schools to minimise the occurrence of young children seeing the image.  

4. Channel Four told the ASA that everyone in the campaign was over 18.  There was no full nudity and no sexual activity shown, other than kissing.  They disagreed that the image was likely to condone underage sex because, if anything, the characters looked miserable and empty.  They disagreed that the poster was irresponsible because it made clear to potential viewers that the programme was a vivid drama that touched on a number of complex issues pertinent to young adults, including their experience of love and sexuality.  Channel Four added that the partial nudity was no more explicit than numerous other images in the public domain and maintained that there were editorial reasons for using the image which were consistent with the editorial content of the programme.


Assessment
1. Not upheld
The ASA noted Channel Four's comments.  We considered that viewers of the first series of Skins would be aware of the plotline involving Tony and a traffic accident.  We noted, however, that to people who had not seen the programme before, it could seem as though the character was dead in the bath.  While we understood that some people might find the image distasteful, we did not consider that it would cause serious or widespread offence.  We considered that children who saw the ad were likely to assume that the image depicted a boy holding his breath under the water as his eyes remained open.  We concluded therefore that poster (a) was not irresponsible and was unlikely to cause distress to children who saw it.   

On this point, we investigated poster (a) under CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility), 5.1 (Taste and decency) and 9.1 (Fear and distress) but did not find it in breach.  

2. Not upheld
We noted the complainants' concern that children might be encouraged to copy the character in the poster by holding their breath under water, a potentially unsafe practice.  We noted the bathroom was dirty and distinctly unglamorous and considered that copying the image would hold little appeal to children.  We concluded that the poster was unlikely to encourage emulation by children.

On the point, we investigated poster (a) under CAP Code clause 10.1 (Safety) but did not find it in breach.

3. Upheld
We considered that the image, showing characters from the programme embracing in varying states of undress, implied that an orgy was taking place.  We concluded that the poster could cause serious or widespread offence to those who saw it and was unsuitable to be used in a medium where it could be seen by children.

On this point, poster (b) breached CAP Code clauses 2.2 (Social responsibility) and 5.1 (Taste and decency).  

4. Not upheld
We noted the poster depicted an orgy-style scene featuring some of the programme's main characters.  While we understood that the complainants were concerned that the image could be seen to condone or encourage children to have underage sex, we noted all the characters were aged 16 or over and the actors who played them were aged 18 and over.  We agreed with Channel Four that the dark and sinister images did not glamorise sex.  We understood that the image was a portrayal of typical content from the programme and concluded that the poster was not irresponsible and did not condone or encourage underage sex.

On this point, we investigated poster (b) under CAP Code clause 2.2 (Social responsibility) but did not find it in breach.


Action
We told Channel Four not to use poster (b), or similar images, in that medium again.


Adjudication of the ASA Council (Non-broadcast)

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