“The BBC has been forced to edit an Apple logo out of an episode of its spy series ‘Spooks’, as the corporation launches an investigation into allegations of product placement in its programmes,” Joe Lepper reports for Brand Republic. “An investigation by the Sunday Times alleges that the practice of product placement is widespread, despite being in contravention of broadcasting guidelines. The BBC has launched its own investigation and has now admitted it was forced to edit last week’s BBC One episode of ‘Spooks.'”
“Under BBC guidelines the corporation is forbidden from guaranteeing the appearance of a product. In addition, products can only be used to guarantee realism,” Lepper reports.
Full article here.
The Sunday Times reports, “Malcolm Holt, a prop master for Kudos, the company that produces the show for the BBC, told our undercover reporters that Apple was keen to supply computers. ‘They just throw them at you,’ he said. Preview tapes of this week’s BBC1 episode contain three prominent shots of the Apple logo.”
Full article here.
ER constantly has dell laptops appearing in their program. No big deal.
Well, if they are scientists using them in the show, then it DOES convey realism.
This is nothing newsworthy…
I see PowerBooks on TV all the time, with a black square neatly covering up the glowing Apple logo, and in at least one case, I recall seeing a couple pieces of black tape shabbily covering up the Apple logo on a PowerBook on that discovery programme, Mythbusters.
They can cover the logo, but nothing else looks like a PowerBook…
HuskerMac: the BBC is a public broadcasting service on which advertising is verboten. I remember at one time you would see scenes where every vestige of a product had been crudely covered, and although they’ve relaxed over the years they are still wary of the idea of advertising products by showing them on the programs. So the only reason this is a Mac story is because Apple is involved. The first series was shown in the US (under the title “MI-5”) and the office scenes were just loaded with Macs, with the Apple logo prominently displayed.
The slight difference is that the BBC are not commercial. It’s all well and good being realistic but if the shot’s gratuitously show the logo etc then there is a problem. Not so much from apple in this instance since they’re just trying to promote their product but more from the production company and in turn the BBC for alowing it.
A long running BBC programme called Blue Peter makes its presenters say ‘sticky-backed plastic’ instead of Sellotape.
If you want a realistic drama series, you need real life products. The MI5 use Macs, so what’s the problem?
I used to laugh at the continuity on Six Feet Under, where Brenda would be using her PowerBook. The logo would be there, then not, then there again, etc. all in the same scene.
Malcom Holt says “Apple throws computers at them.” Then why do they have the old plastic screens, with the iSight stuck to the back of them. instead of the new metal ones on the show.
Besides the show likes to go for realism & what better computer for security, on a show about spooks, is there than a Mac.
Silly pinko Limeys.
Oh, so the presence of product and company names, prominently displayed under our noses, is not a part of the reality of our everyday lives?
The reason the Macs in Spooks are older is because the program is into its fourth season in the UK (where it’s known as MI-5)… and if they are going to edit out logos, I suspect they’ll have to do it in just about every one of the 30 episodes to date…
The BBC has a very strict policy towards advertising: None.
On the children’s show ‘Blue Peter’, on air since the late 60s, the presenters famously refer to Selotape – Scotch Tape in the US – as “sticky-backed plastic”. Unlike US television, where commercialism rules (even PBS now features advertising) the Beeb removes the possiblity that viewers will be subjected to the unrelenting flow of ‘brought-to-you-by’ advertising overload.
Oops! Jamie beat me to it!
Slight correction:
“Spooks” in UK
“MI-5” in US
I thought it was funny that on the new CBS show “Criminal Minds” the character that was abducted from work had a virus to show up on her computer that clearly showed an OSX destop!!! I’m pretty sure because I was watching it in Hi def on a 106″ screen.
I still get a kick out of watching Jeff Goldblum upload a virus from an older Mac laptop on Independence Day.
Dell does a nice job of circumventing the the logo placement with their laptops by using the round logo with the two “spikes” preading out across the back of the laptop from the Dell logo. You can pretty much tell it’s a Dell even though the company name isn’t visible.
I wonder if the BBC shows a screen shot, if they have to edit out the blue apple logo or Windows Start menu icons from the desktops?..
So why does the BBC continue to use Dells clearly on its Flagship News programmes? Hypocrisy here?
MW “Dark” as in side
And in other product placement news from the UK, the forensic psychiatrist (profiler) on yesterday’s Touch Of Frost was using a PowerBook.
I remember having a conversation in 1998/9 with the guy who, at the time, was Apple UK’s QuickTime Product Manager. He said they were literally beating off TV production companies who wanted empty iMac cases for set dressing with sticks.
However, Spooks has – over three series – become an increasingly obvious Macintosh dominated show: They’ve even upgraded the displays this season to the new aluminium HD models.
Ha! Ever tried viewing BBC online video? Plays on with anything but QT. Ho hum. On the same subject, it’s a pity some of the badly-disguised Audis weren’t cut from ‘Minority Report’ — the star car was quite enough…
Product placement, what a load off ASS! Get over yourself BBC. HP has their products in every other show involving computers and or laptops.
When did the BBC start this? Macs were all over the place in Absolutely Fabulous. Bubbles even had a dalmation iMac on her desk, as if she could work a computer…
I’d be highly surprised if the real MI5 does equip its offices with Mac’s. It’s a civil service government department like any other – I’m sure el-cheapo PC’s are order of the day.
When Blue Peter presenters referred to “sticky backed plastic” on the BBC, they weren’t referring to adhesive tape, but to self-adhesive decorative plastic film that was typically a foot wide.
The brand name that was so coyly avoided was “Fablon”. To this day, retail displays of Fablon still carry the by-line “The original sticky backed plastic”.
Product placement in the BBC has always been against the rules. This current story seems to have been arisen when a journalist posed as a promotions representative and contacted certain prop buyers and producers and tried to bribe them to place fictitious products in forthcoming BBC programmes.
The BBC in recent years has been fairly relaxed about commercial products being shown as a natural part of the background, but after the current story, it’s likely that there will be a period of over cautious avoidance before it settles down again.
After all, every car driven by an actor will have been chosen to make some sort of statement about the character being portrayed. The brand will be quite obvious to all. In many cases, that car will have been borrowed under favourable terms as it will be seen on prime-time television. Is that realism, prudence, or product placement ?