MCFLY - BBC REPRIMANDED OVER 'FIXED' MCFLY COMPETITION

A British broadcaster has been forced to apologise after a competition for young TV viewers to meet pop band MCFLY was branded a fix. The BBC launched the contest on regional show North West Tonight for local schools to win a private gig from the All I Want Is You hitmakers. The competition was offered across a wide swathe of the north west of England, but it was later revealed that MCFly would only be able to perform in Greater Manchester - a fact which the BBC did not reveal to viewers. A winner was eventually picked and the company was accused of screening entrants to ensure they were located within the distance the band were able to travel. Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom slammed the BBC for misleading entrants, ruling the decision not to disclose all of the information was "unfair for those who entered who, due to location, had no chance of winning". The BBC issued an apology to its young viewers over the competition, which was held in February 2007.