Channel 4 Benefits show sparks Ofcom rage as viewers brand it ‘an insult to disabled’

Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary, Britain’s Benefits Scandal, claimed to expose the ‘scandal’ of the disability benefits system, but some believed it was an ‘insult to millions of disabled people’

A Channel 4 Benefits documentary has sparked an Ofcom rage (
Image: Quicksilver Media)

A Channel 4 Benefits documentary has sparked an Ofcom rage after it aired last week.

Dispatches: Britain’s Benefits Scandal, claimed to expose the ‘scandal’ of the disability benefits system, but some believed it was an “insult to millions of disabled people in poverty”.

The programme, presented by former Spectator editor, Fraser Nelson, claimed to show that the country’s benefits system can “drive people towards benefits rather than work”, and that the costs of supporting disabled people who cannot work “threaten to derail the government’s hopes of economic growth”. After interviewing several people receiving disability allowance, it posed the question: “Are we getting sicker? Or lazier?”, which incensed some viewers.

Britain’s Benefits Scandal sparked fury among viewers ( 
Image:
Quicksilver Media)
Following the broadcast, there were multiple concerns about accuracy and unevidenced claims. Speaking to the Mirror, Ofcom confirmed there were 68 complaints made about the show, alleging that the documentary was ‘ableist and contained inaccurate information about claiming benefits’.

Britain’s Benefits Scandal was described by Disability Rights UK as “an insult to the millions of disabled people on the poverty line”. Meanwhile, Mental health group Recovery in the Bin (RiTB) said the show was an “atrocity”. Rick Burgess, an RiTB spokesperson, said: “We see what this is, it is a cycle repeated endlessly of government working with media to ready the way for another round of DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) abuse. Shame on everyone involved.”

However, others supported the documentary after Nelson spoke to one person on long-term sickness benefits who admitted he wouldn’t train to become a plasterer after getting better because he would lose the £1,400 a month in welfare he is currently receiving.

In the episode it was claimed that some people who are on benefits make up to £35,000 a year, thousands of pounds more than the national minimum and living wages.

As the show aired, many viewers took to social media to criticise the benefits system, claiming the programme shows the way ‘hand outs’ are administered in Britain needs an ‘overhaul’.

One person wrote: “Sickness benefits worth £3,000 more than a minimum wage job. How is that right? Nobody should be better off on benefits than someone who gets out of bed every day and does a full day’s work It’s just wrong.”

Meanwhile, another person watching the show appeared to incensed by what they had seen, revealing how their partner, who is battling cancer is struggling to claim for sickness pay.

They fumed: “My partner has cancer, always worked, never claimed. She’s now in treatment and we have been told sorry, try again next month. SHE. HAS. CANCER, not a a mild dose of anxiety and yet nothing forthcoming for another eight weeks… absolute joke.”

When contacted by the Mirror, a spokesperson for Channel 4 said: “Dispatches is a highly respected brand with journalistic integrity that has a reputation for tackling difficult subject matter. The film was based on deep and meticulous research, but the story was told through those affected.

“We wanted to give voice to claimants, place them at the centre of the film, as they are too often erased from the debate. This programme has created an important conversation and highlights the important issues that the Benefit System is facing. ”