Channel fined for fake quiz winners

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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.

In its adjudication, Ofcom found 11 further similar or identical instances of unfair competitions in Brainteaser and its spin-off programme Memory Bank.

The watchdog is investigating several shows caught up in the premium rate phone-line scandal earlier this year.