‘The Undateables’ ad campaign cleared by watchdog

After considering complaints about the advertising campaign launched to promote the controversial Channel 4’s series ‘The Undateables’, the Advertising Standards Agency has decided not to investigate.

The ad campaign prompted 21 complaints that the promotions offended disabled people and encouraged bullying and stereotyping.

However, a spokesman for the ASA said: “We acknowledged that the ads would not be to everyone’s taste but considered they reflected the tone and content of the programme they promoted and were not likely to cause serious or widespread offence for the reasons suggested.

“After careful consideration, ASA Council decided we will not be taking any further action.”

The three-part tv series, which began on 3 April and is available to watch online, explored how looking for love can be tricky and for some people it is harder than others. It followed the journeys of “several extraordinary singletons as they enter the dating circuit in pursuit of love, from a stand-up comedian with Tourettes and a trapeze artist with brittle bones, to a media student with Down’s Syndrome, an amateur poet with a learning disability, and a skateboarder with a facial disfigurement, the series followed them as they enter the world of blind dates, matchmakers and speed dating.”

The disability charity Mencap was concerned that the packaging of ‘The Undateables’ could “be seen to do more harm than good”, portraying people with disabilities in an “unflattering” way.

Mencap said: “We welcome any programme that tackles a crucial issue for people with a disability - their equal right to personal relationships - in a positive, informed way. It is an area we know that disabled people feel very strongly about. However, the packaging and representation of the programme by Channel 4 could be seen to do more harm than good by once again portraying people with a disability in an unflattering way, when many already feel excluded from mainstream society. 

“People with disabilities are under-represented in the media and public life, and a more constructive approach might be to see Channel 4 including people with a disability – for example, presenters and actors – in mainstream programming, rather than reinforcing stereotypes through sensationalist marketing.”