Time for action to curb TV phone in competitions

News that Channel Four are under investigation following complaints about the phone in quiz "You Say - We Pay" on the Richard and Judy Show highlight that these sorts of phone ins are often scams of the first order, but also ignores it ignores the fact that they could be described as barely legal in any case.

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Quizzes are supposed to have some element of "skill" in them, requiring the person answering to have some sort of special knowledge. It is in these circumstances that TV companies are allowed to charge. However, the sort of phone in questions they charge for on shows like Richard and Judy, Deal or No Deal, or GMTV ask the sort of daft questions that a three year old wouldn't struggle to answer. When the questions are essentially too easy, the law states that the competition is no longer a quiz and is, in fact, a lottery, which is governed by different laws and regulations. However, the government refuse to take action.

I guess it would look bad for Blair if they did take action considering he appeared on "You Say - We Pay" on the Richard and Judy program, but you have to ask seriously why some laws are never enforced, particularly when it is the general public that is being taken for a ride.

A recent question on Richard and Judy was this :

"Clint Eastwood appeared in a series of westerns that were named after a particular Italian dish. Were they :

a) Spaghetti Westerns
b) Lasagne Westerns
c) Macaroni Westerns

And that is one of the harder ones.

Even worse is "Deal of No Deal" that encourages people to phone, but does not guarantee that they will even have their name submitted to win the prize, although all calls are charged ? This is called ripping people off in any other field of life, but on TV you are allowed to get away with it.