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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| ITV admits to death scenes error | ITV admits to death scenes error |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| ITV has admitted that an Alzheimer's patient who was shown apparently "passing away" in a documentary's final scenes actually died three days later. | ITV has admitted that an Alzheimer's patient who was shown apparently "passing away" in a documentary's final scenes actually died three days later. |
| Publicity for the ITV1 programme, to be shown on 8 August, claimed it showed the final moments of Malcolm Pointon, 66, a composer from Cambridgeshire. | Publicity for the ITV1 programme, to be shown on 8 August, claimed it showed the final moments of Malcolm Pointon, 66, a composer from Cambridgeshire. |
| ITV now says the footage was of Mr Pointon slipping into unconsciousness. | ITV now says the footage was of Mr Pointon slipping into unconsciousness. |
| It said it had issued a correction after film maker Paul Watson alerted them, and an inquiry was under way. | It said it had issued a correction after film maker Paul Watson alerted them, and an inquiry was under way. |
| 'Moving scenes' | 'Moving scenes' |
| In a statement, ITV said it wanted to establish the sequence of events that had led to the error. | In a statement, ITV said it wanted to establish the sequence of events that had led to the error. |
| It said it had made the clarification about the footage a day after Mr Watson called with his concerns. | It said it had made the clarification about the footage a day after Mr Watson called with his concerns. |
| In moving scenes, Malcolm is surrounded by his family and Barbara strokes his head as he passes away ITV publicity material | In moving scenes, Malcolm is surrounded by his family and Barbara strokes his head as he passes away ITV publicity material |
| The statement continued: "When ITV did establish, later that day, that the death was indeed some days after the end of the film, we immediately agreed with Paul that a clarification needed to be made. | The statement continued: "When ITV did establish, later that day, that the death was indeed some days after the end of the film, we immediately agreed with Paul that a clarification needed to be made. |
| "ITV issued a statement the following morning." | "ITV issued a statement the following morning." |
| Mr Pointon never regained consciousness after being filmed in ITV1's Malcolm and Barbara: Love's Farewell. | Mr Pointon never regained consciousness after being filmed in ITV1's Malcolm and Barbara: Love's Farewell. |
| The publicity material, released to the media, said: "The film ends when [Mr Pointon's wife] Barbara calls Paul to ask him to come as Malcolm is about to die. | The publicity material, released to the media, said: "The film ends when [Mr Pointon's wife] Barbara calls Paul to ask him to come as Malcolm is about to die. |
| "In moving scenes, Malcolm is surrounded by his family and Barbara strokes his head as he passes away." | "In moving scenes, Malcolm is surrounded by his family and Barbara strokes his head as he passes away." |
| Intimate access | Intimate access |
| Mr Watson denied trying to mislead viewers with the documentary - a sequel to his award-winning Malcolm And Barbara: A Love Story, which chronicled Mr Pointon's early battle against the illness. | Mr Watson denied trying to mislead viewers with the documentary - a sequel to his award-winning Malcolm And Barbara: A Love Story, which chronicled Mr Pointon's early battle against the illness. |
| Instead, he blamed the mistake on the material used for publicity. | Instead, he blamed the mistake on the material used for publicity. |
| "Why would I want to fake a death when I've had access to every intimacy imaginable through that film?" he said. | "Why would I want to fake a death when I've had access to every intimacy imaginable through that film?" he said. |
| "My crime is that I did not compile that press statement and that I did not read it sufficiently clearly, if indeed I did see it properly and I'm sure I didn't." | "My crime is that I did not compile that press statement and that I did not read it sufficiently clearly, if indeed I did see it properly and I'm sure I didn't." |
| Does it really matter whether it [his death] was two minutes, two days, two weeks after? Malcolm Pointon's widow, Barbara | |
| ITV director of television Simon Shaps said: "The film maker responsible, Paul Watson, has now confirmed that the film does not portray the moment of Malcolm's passing, which was in fact some days later. | ITV director of television Simon Shaps said: "The film maker responsible, Paul Watson, has now confirmed that the film does not portray the moment of Malcolm's passing, which was in fact some days later. |
| "This will be made clear at the end of the film on transmission and should have been made clear earlier." | "This will be made clear at the end of the film on transmission and should have been made clear earlier." |
| But Mrs Pointon told BBC Radio Five Live the fact the film did not show the exact moment of her husband's death was not important. | But Mrs Pointon told BBC Radio Five Live the fact the film did not show the exact moment of her husband's death was not important. |
| She said: "I want people to know that Paul filmed Malcolm's last semi-conscious moments, because after that... Malcolm slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, into a coma, and he just faded away." | She said: "I want people to know that Paul filmed Malcolm's last semi-conscious moments, because after that... Malcolm slipped deeper and deeper into unconsciousness, into a coma, and he just faded away." |
| She added: "Does it really matter whether it [his death] was two minutes, two days, two weeks after that point? It doesn't alter the fact Malcolm died of this illness. | |
| "And that's the message I wanted to get through, that Alzheimer's kills." | |
| 'Important message' | |
| The Alzheimer's Society said Mr and Mrs Pointon had made a "brave decision" to highlight the effects of the disease and it hoped the controversy surrounding the final scenes would not detract from the documentary's message. | |
| Director of external affairs, Andrew Ketteringham, said: "There is nothing fake about Malcolm's devastating decline." | |
| ITV's admission comes after its chairman, Michael Grade, announced a zero-tolerance policy towards deception in programming. | ITV's admission comes after its chairman, Michael Grade, announced a zero-tolerance policy towards deception in programming. |
| It also follows controversy over promotional footage for the BBC One documentary, A Year With The Queen, which the BBC promoted as showing the monarch storming out of a photo shoot, when in fact the scenes were out of sequence. | It also follows controversy over promotional footage for the BBC One documentary, A Year With The Queen, which the BBC promoted as showing the monarch storming out of a photo shoot, when in fact the scenes were out of sequence. |
| The BBC and film maker RDF Media later apologised and an inquiry is under way. | The BBC and film maker RDF Media later apologised and an inquiry is under way. |