Guardian Unlimited - Channel Five shows edited BNP broadcast

Channel Five screened a 'largely incomprehensible' European election broadcast by the British National party yesterday after banning an earlier version for breaching race-hate rules. After the channel refused to show the first version, which claimed that Asian men in the north of England were abusing young white girls, the BNP edited out passages with a combination of bleeps and 'wind' sound effects. Bemused TV executives, having reviewed the second version, decided they had no option under election rules but to show it. A spokesman said: 'The changes were the BNP's interpretation of how to address the tone and content concerns we highlighted when we declined to broadcast the first version. Having viewed the new version, Five has reached the conclusion that, though largely incomprehensible, it does not breach the programme code.'