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This Morning and Schofield face possible Ofcom probe over paedophile stunt

By Press Gazette

Television show This Morning was facing a possible Ofcom investigation today and the possibility of libel writs after presenter Phillip Schofield showed a list of alleged paedophiles to Prime Minister David Cameron during a live interview.

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom confirmed it had received "a few" complaints about the daytime programme after Schofield yesterday confronted the Prime Minister with names – understood to be Conservative Party figures – that he had put together after trawling internet rumours.

The presenter was forced to apologise after the list was briefly exposed on screen.

Rob Wilson, a Conservative MP, reported the ITV1 programme to Ofcom and urged it to investigate whether ITV had breached its duty to give individuals a chance to respond before subjecting them to serious allegations on-screen.

Tory Stuart Andrew, who was a Wrexham councillor at the time of the north Wales inquiries, denounced Schofield's ambush as "completely irresponsible and an outrageous stunt".

Andrew said: "It is not acceptable to take a cheap shot on something that is so fiercely sensitive."

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