Media News
Show's producers avoid rat charges
Monday 7 December 2009
Charges are being brought against winner Gino D'Acampo and fellow contestant Stuart Manning after the chef apparently killed and butchered a rat to add meat to a meal.
Check out our 'I'm A Celebrity' Blog.
The News of the World claims the animal may have been a tame rat let loose to add drama.
ITV today said it was an "oversight" that the production team did not check whether the killing of a rat was lawful.
An ITV spokesman said: "The production was asked if a rat could be caught and eaten by the celebrities in exile camp to supplement the basic rations they had been provided with for their evening meal.
"Having sought health and safety advice, the go-ahead was given purely on this basis, when it became clear that there would not be any harmful effects of eating a properly prepared and cooked rat.
"The production was unaware that killing a rat could be an offence, criminal or otherwise, in New South Wales and accepts that further inquiries should have been made - this was an oversight.
During the series the contestants were divided into two groups, one of which was in "exile" with meagre rations. The celebrities were concerned that they would be drained of energy and unable to win any challenges.
D'Acampo told the show's Bush Telegraph: "It's not done by choice but it's done because we need it. We need some kind of protein, we need some kind of flavour. I saw one of these rats running around. I got a knife, I got its throat, I picked it up."
The group, including 30-year-old Manning, ate the rat and enjoyed the meal.
Fellow contestant George Hamilton spoke out in defence of his former camp-mates, saying ITV producers had given them permission to eat the rodent.
The actor was quoted in the Daily Mirror as saying: "When Lucy (Benjamin) saw a rat Gino said, 'We've got to get that'.
"So I went into the Bush Telegraph and said, 'May we eat a rat?' They were a bit shocked, thought about it and then said we could. It was a very good dinner."
Ch Insp David Oshannessy from the RSPCA in New South Wales, said it was not acceptable that an animal had been killed as part of a performance. He said: "The allegation is that an animal was cruelly treated on the set. It was a rat that was killed. There is a code of conduct in New South Wales that dictates how animals can be used. The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable."
A spokeswoman for New South Wales Police said there were currently no plans to bring charges against the show producers.
The force's statement about the two men read: "Police from Murwillumbah yesterday issued field court attendance notices to two men aged 30 and 33 for the offence of animal cruelty. They are due to attend court at Murwillumbah local court on February 3, 2010."
Click here for Terms of use
|
Top 10 Most Read
Must Watch TV
-
- The Late Late Show
You can be guaranteed that Ryan Tubridy will host a stellar line-up of high-profile guests, current social issues will get an airing and he'll introduce the very best in all-round entertainment, plus a fabulous prize for someone at home! What more could you ask for from your Friday night viewing?
-
- Who Knows Ireland Best?
Derek Mooney hosts as two teams compete to see who is most in touch and who has their finger on the pulse. Points are awarded for being in agreement with the majority of a survey of 1,000 people across the country. This week, three agricultural consultants (Tom Dawson, Tipperary; Julie Roche, Cork; and Mike Brady, Cork) go head-to-head with three auctioneers (Nora Meaney, Sharon O'Leary and Maura Fenlon, all from Carlow) to see who is more in tune with the nation.
-
- The Big C
As the rest of the neighbourhood gets ready for Hallowe'en, Cathy prepares to start a clinical trial she hopes will cure her cancer. Yet just when Cathy needs him, Paul has to deal with a series of problems at work. And as they are arriving at the hospital, Cathy's search for a parking spot ends with her harmlessly hitting another patient with her car. Meanwhile, as Adam grows increasingly agitated by his mom's illness, Sean's Hallowe'en plans lead him to suspect that Marlene's ghost is haunting his house.
-
- Hustle
Albert decides to pay a nostalgic visit to an old haunt, only to find it's been pulled down by ruthless property tycoon and former '80s game show host, Dale Ridley (played by Mark Williams) in this week's episode. Posing as international businessmen, the team lure Dale into a scam, convincing him to purchase the television studios that fired him in his showbiz heyday on their behalf. Will the temptation to get revenge on his old employers be enough to trick the greedy entrepreneur?
-
- Safari Vet School
Thirty-two vet students are at one of the toughest vet schools in the world in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Under the guiding hand of Chief Vet, Dr Will Fowlds, the students tackle everything from lions to rhinos to giraffes and elephants. In tonight's episode, TV vet Steve Leonard who presents the show is pushed to his limits when he's left in charge of 16 vet students and a hall of 100 barking dogs while Cambridge student Nadia gets a second chance at being a team leader.