A late night ITV gaming show has apologised “unreservedly” for a joke made by a presenter directly after a broadcast of the 9/11 drama United 93.
In her introduction to Jackpot 247, presenter Emma Lee said: “Thank you for coming in for an emergency landing” and “brace yourselves, it’s going to be good”.
“We hope you enjoyed the movie there on ITV. It’s time for you to sit tight,” she added.
However, Lee had been unaware that the preceding film concerned the hijacking that killed all 44 passengers on board, and the four hijackers, during the al-Qaida attacks in the US in 2001, said a statement published on the show’s website.
“The presenter hadn’t realised the content of the preceding film and apologised on air as soon as she was made aware,” said the statement. “She has asked us to repeat her sincere regret.
“Jackpot247 takes incidents of this nature very seriously and has instigated new measures and guidelines to its team to avoid anything similar in the future.”
Broadcast regulator Ofcom said it had received 20 complaints, which it would assess before deciding whether to launch an investigation.
Jackpot 247 is owned by NetPlayTV, which also runs SuperCasino and Vernons.
