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Reuters Friday August 11, 11:40 AM
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LONDON (Reuters) - A telephone watchdog has launched an investigation into the "Big Brother" voting system after receiving 2,700 complaints from viewers, a spokesman said on Friday.
The premium phone line regulator ICSTIS was flooded with complaints after contestants who had been forced off the reality TV show in public votes were allowed to return.
Viewers paid 50 pence each to vote by telephone
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to evict Grace Adams-Short, Nikki Grahame, Mikey Dalton and Lea Walker, only to see them brought back to the camera-filled house.
"The majority of the complainants believe that they have been misled," ICSTIS said. "They were under the impression that they had voted to evict the contestants permanently."
The watchdog can impose a 250,000 pounds fine or bar the companies behind the telephone vote service from providing premium rate services.
It could also order the two firms, Minick Ltd and ITouch UK, to refund voters' money. No one at either company was available to comment.
The watchdog is checking whether the Big Brother vote breaches its rules that services "must not mislead or be likely to mislead by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise". The inquiry will take up to three months.
Tabloid newspapers, which accuse Channel 4 and the show's producers of giving viewers a raw deal, estimated that 3 million pounds may have to be returned.
Channel 4 said: "We welcome the investigation and will of course fully co-operate with ICSTIS on this matter."
The reality TV show returned for a seventh series in May, with producers threatening the "longest and most twisted" programme yet.  | 
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