Channel 4 defends controversial decision to air ‘insensitive’ reality show Smuggled after Essex lorry deaths

New series is ‘matter of urgent public interest’, claims broadcaster

Channel 4 has defended its decision to air new reality series Smuggled just 11 days after 39 people were found dead in a lorry in Essex.

The experimental show, which sees eight British citizens attempt to enter the UK by evading border checks, launched on Monday 4 November after being postponed for one week.

Despite the broadcast delay, the Home Office has said Channel 4 was “insensitive and irresponsible” to show the series so soon after the victims were discovered in a refrigerated lorry trailer on an industrial estate on 23 October.

However, Channel 4 has said the series is “a matter of urgent public interest”.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office told the BBC: “Broadcasting this programme so soon after the tragic incident at Grays is both insensitive and irresponsible.”

She added: “Organised crime gangs have no respect for human life so it is reckless to provide a platform for the illegal activity that they facilitate.

“Doing so can encourage them to exploit our border for profit, risking the lives of vulnerable, desperate people as they do so.”

A spokesman for Channel 4 responded with: “This documentary series investigates concerns that the UK Border Force is failing to adequately secure the UK from clandestine entrants.

“Filmed this summer, the programmes question the security of UK borders and give the viewing public a much broader insight into an important issue facing this country – which is part of our remit as a public service broadcaster.

“More than ever, following this awful tragedy, the shocking findings of the films have become a matter of urgent public interest.”