After rigorously investigating the claims, Channel 4 says it had found no evidence to back up what Dorries said.
Channel 4 has proved yet another claim by culture secretary Nadine Dorries to be untrue, the latest in a list of blunders from Dorries.
During a point of order in the Commons on Wednesday this week, the SNP’s Shadow Culture Secretary John Nicolson, called out evidence given by Dorries at the DCMS committee claiming that parts of Channel 4 reality series Tower Block of Commons were faked.
Dorries appeared in the 2010 show herself, which featured MPs spending time living in UK tower blocks and council estates.
In May, Dorries alleged that some people portrayed as living on her estate were actors and “were not real”. That claim has now been found not to be true.
Nicolson told the Commons: “On the 19th of May when responding to a question from the honourable member for Ealing Central and Acton (Dr Huq), the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport claimed that the Channel 4 reality series “Tower Block of Commons” deceived the viewing public using actors rather than real tower block residents.
She said: “They were not really living in a flat—they were not real. They were actually actors.”
“Indeed, she claimed that a number of the participants had confessed this to her at a subsequent dinner in the House of Commons. It is a serious charge, not least since the Secretary of State currently holds the fate of Channel 4 in her hands.
“Channel 4 has now investigated and interviewed the production company and all the participants who dined with the Secretary of State, who said that the conversation she cited never happened. Channel 4 has released a detailed report rebutting the Secretary of State’s claim. The Select Committee Chair, the hon. Member for Solihull (Julian Knight), wrote urgently to the Secretary of State, offering her the opportunity to withdraw her claim, but she has refused to do so. Misleading the Select Committee is obviously a serious matter.”
Channel 4 also released its own rebuttal of Dorries’ claim, putting out a statement saying it had rigorously investigated the claims and had found no evidence to support Dorries’ assertions.
It’s not the first time that Dorries has made false claims about Channel 4. Speaking during a select committee hearing in November 2021, Dorries claimed Channel 4 is “in receipt of public money” when discussing the future of the channel, despite the fact it doesn’t receive public money.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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