BACC/ITC U-turn on ITV's 2DTV DVD ad

The ban on the advert showing George Bush trying to put a video into his toaster has been lifted.

Watchdogs have agreed it was "rather harsh" to veto the animation, promoting the DVD and video of ITV1 satire 2DTV, because it breached the code of practice.

The rules state that TV advertisers cannot use public figures to promote their brands without their permission.

The BACC, which vets adverts, today reversed its decision - but blamed regulators at the ITC for the U-turn, saying that the guidance they received changed.

BACC director Uisdean Maclean told MediaGuardian: "After our decision became public they suggested we'd been over-rigorous and decided we could take a slightly more lenient approach..

Giles Pilbrow, the producer of 2DTV, said: "The irony is that the sketch was banned because it was deemed to be offensive but George Bush would never have known about it had it not been for the ban. As it is, the story was covered all over the world - it even made the papers in Iraq.

"It was absurd to expect us to call George Bush. We even made an ad using Bin Laden just to see whether they'd make us try to contact him for his permission as well."

Published: 10 Dec 2002