LONDON – A group of senior BBC executives are campaigning to introduce a BBC-wide ban on actors, writers and other talent involved in its productions using social networking sites to disclose details of their work.
According to senior sources, the need for a ban “was a widely-held view” and “conversations have started” regarding a change to contracts to forbid talent from using Twitter and other public internet forums to discuss details of their involvement in BBC productions if the information is confidential or sensitive.
The campaign follows a spate of revelations on Twitter which, the executives at the BBC claim, have disrupted press and marketing campaigns.
They hope a ban will prevent storyline spoilers, casting news or press announcements from leaking out.
Recent examples which are understood to have caused consternation include the singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s disclosure on Twitter.
She said that she was to appear in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's new comedy Life's Too Shortalongside Sting.
Her seemingly innocent tweet is understood to have undermined a carefully crafted BBC announcement of the pop star’s appearance.
Other examples of inadvertent indiscretions include actor Stephen Mangan's revelation on Twitter. He said that the drama Dirk Gentlyhad been recommissioned. There was also Armando Iannucci's announcement of a return of the comedy The Thick of It.
One executive, who holds a high profile job in BBC Vision, the department that oversees and produces television content, said: “There’s no doubt that Twitter is a popular communications phenomenon but it can also be quite disruptive if artists tweet about an appearance on a show or announce a new commission before the broadcaster is ready to go with the story.” – (Guardian Service)