Inevitable fury over Morris's return

More than 1,500 disgusted viewers have complained about last night's Brass Eye - making it the most controversial show in TV history.

Around 1,000 called Channel 4 and another 540 contacted watchdogs at the ITC.

The inevitable controversy over the subject matter - paedophilia - has been further fuelled by angry criticism from celebrities duped into making bizarre claims on the subject.

Scenes from last night's show included presenter Chris Morris simulating sex with a puppet of a toddler and a mock report about a paedophile rapper dating an eight-year-old.

Morris also brought out a real boy and asked a "paedophile" locked in stocks if he wanted to have sex with the lad.

The Sun newspaper immediately branded the show sick, and directory inquiries said they received thousands of calls requesting Channel 4's complaints department

Morris duped celebrities including Phil Collins, Phillipa Forrester and Richard Blackwood into making outrageous claims about paedophiles.

Stars angrily slammed Morris for hoodwinking them, and some, including Collins, have consulted their lawyers.

Kate Thornton told the Guardian: "But attempting to make jokes about something as serious as paedophilia is beyond me and I suspect this is a view shared by most."

And ITN's Nicholas Owen said he was "very upset" by the show.

Yet many of those complaining to The Sun failed to grasp the deceit, and attacked the celebrities for taking part.

One said: "I was disgusted to see Gary Lineker take part in this appalling programme, as a father and role model to young children shouldn't he have more sense than to get involved in something like this?"

Other readers called the 10.35pm show "the most disgusting, depraved TV programme that as ever been seen", "utter depraved crap" and "sick perverted trash".

Complaints were not limited to The Sun. One Guardian reader, who had failed to get through to the Channel 4 complaints line, said: "To joke about abused children is just not funny or acceptable. Were they looking to get a reaction? What were they thinking?"

Channel 4 said the show was a "disturbing and astonishingly vivid and original" satire on the way the media exploits and sensationalises the subject of paedophilia.
The show will be repeated tonight, despite pleas by the NSPCC to drop it.

Published: 27 Jul 2001