Jo Whiley, Russell Brand Radio Shows Slapped With Huge Ofcom Fine

Radio shows presented by DJ Jo Whiley and comedian Russell Brand have been hit with huge fines by the media watchdog Ofcom.

The shows were fined along with six other BBC TV and radio programmes for “faking winners of competitions and deliberately conducting competitions unfairly.”

Ofcom fined Whiley's radio show on Radio 1 £75,000 and Brand's 6Music production £17,500 after they had invited listeners to take part in live competitions on programmes that had been pre-recorded in 2006.

In total, the BBC was fined £400,000, including a £115,000 fine for similar offences on the Liz Kershaw Show, which is also broadcast on 6Music.

In a statement, the BBC said it had taken the issue "extremely seriously” and stressed that it was already beginning to regain “the trust of viewers and listeners."

In May, ITV was fined a record £5.68million by Ofcom for abusing premium rate phone services.