The family of a woman who is due to appear in the second series of Skint has called on Channel 4 to cut her out of the show to protect her children.
Relatives of a contributor called Kayleigh say they have asked the broadcaster to edit her appearance because of the impact of her appearance in “poverty porn” television on her children.
The new series of Skint is based in Grimsby and a number of residents have been filmed over the past year.
Following a letter from the family’s lawyer, changes have already been made to the programme, which is due to air on Monday night, with some details removed about Kayleigh’s life.
An email from Channel 4 head of documentaries Nick Mirsky to a lawyer acting on behalf of her concerned family has been seen by the Guardian and confirms some elements of the programme about her personal history have changed.
Mirsky also assures them that Kayleigh is referred to only by her first name.
Kayleigh’s family are furious that they were only informed of her contributions in the show in a letter from Keo Films which was sent just 12 days before transmission.
“It’s poverty porn. I feel our family has been manipulated for profit,” claimed one family member, who said relatives are concerned about the impact the programme will have on Kayleigh and her children.
The family say they have spent years trying to help Kayleigh, whose life they say has been in “turmoil”.
They argue that although her surname is not mentioned, once she is seen on screen, she may be identified and talked about on social media.
In a statement, Channel 4 said: “We take issues regarding contributor and child welfare extremely seriously and have ensured that, in the episodes which Kayleigh’s story features, her children and their current living and carer arrangements are unidentifiable. We have replied to reassure the children’s carers of the measures we have taken. We feel there is strong public interest in allowing Kayleigh, the children’s mother, to tell her story about her struggle with poverty. She wishes to appear in Skint and we therefore intend to include her in the series.”
Filmed over a year, the observational documentary series tells the intimate stories of some people living in areas suffering the devastating effects of de-industrialisation
The family also say that having seen the impact programmes like Benefits Street have had on some contributors, her children have, “the right to a life free of stigma.”
After Benefits Street aired earlier this year, some residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham where the programme was filmed, said their children had been bullied at school.
It is not known exactly what Kayleigh has signed, but usually people appearing on television sign release forms allowing their contribution to be shown.
A letter from Channel 4’s lawyers argues that, “we believe there remains a strong public interest” in Kayleigh being able to tell her story and it “would not be possible” to tell her story “if her face or voice were changed or edited out.”
A Channel 4 spokesman said: “We take issues regarding contributor and child welfare extremely seriously. We are in ongoing discussions with the family about this matter and the programme will be broadcast in full compliance with our obligations under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code”.
