6 October 2006
ICSTIS, the premium rate telephone watchdog, has criticised the operators of Channel 4's Big Brother for its voting lines system.
Rob Dwight, a spokesman for the group, said the show was facing "a very hefty administrative charge" which could amount to "several tens of thousands of pounds".
The watchdog received thousands of complaints from viewers who had called up the programme to evict contestants from the Big Brother house before the operators decided to let an evicted contestant back in the house - something the rules guarded against.
Mr Dwight told BBC Radio Five Live: "We had over 2,600 complaints from members of the public who believed that the voting lines had misled them.
"They voted to evict certain contestants from the Big Brother house and then the programme makers decided some members who had already been evicted would be given the chance to go back in and potentially win the £100,000 cash prize.
"The service providers involved do face a very hefty administrative charge to cover the costs of our investigation and they are on a warning if you like.
"They know that on any similar breaches of this kind we will take a completely different line with them."
Looking for a new phone supplier? Use uSwitch.com to compare all available suppliers, pick the best supplier for you and switch online.