Television show This Morning was facing a possible Ofcom investigation today and the possibility of libel writs after presenter Phillip Schofield showed a list of alleged paedophiles to Prime Minister David Cameron during a live interview.
Broadcasting regulator Ofcom confirmed it had received "a few" complaints about the daytime programme after Schofield yesterday confronted the Prime Minister with names – understood to be Conservative Party figures – that he had put together after trawling internet rumours.
The presenter was forced to apologise after the list was briefly exposed on screen.
Rob Wilson, a Conservative MP, reported the ITV1 programme to Ofcom and urged it to investigate whether ITV had breached its duty to give individuals a chance to respond before subjecting them to serious allegations on-screen.
Tory Stuart Andrew, who was a Wrexham councillor at the time of the north Wales inquiries, denounced Schofield's ambush as "completely irresponsible and an outrageous stunt".
Andrew said: "It is not acceptable to take a cheap shot on something that is so fiercely sensitive."
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog