Channel 5 documentary The Sex Business breached broadcasting rules, watchdog Ofcom has said.
The regulator ruled on the three-part series, which had programme titles Pain For Pleasure, Trans On Demand and Orgasms For Sale and investigated the lives of sex workers in Britain.
An Ofcom spokeswoman said: “Our investigation found these programmes broke our rules by including images of extreme, graphic sexual activity.
Read more: The Sex Business viewers shocked as OAPS pleasure themselves in graphic scenes
“These were far more explicit than viewers would be likely to expect in a programme broadcast an hour after the watershed.”
The programme, which aired at 10pm last year, featured interviews with sex workers and “images of strong, extreme and graphic sexual activity”.
There was “insufficient masking” and close-up shots resulted in “sexual material that was extreme, graphic, prolonged at times and prominent”, Ofcom said.
It cited data showing how many children may have been watching, with 30,500 aged between four and 15 for the second episode.
The programme breached rules on post-watershed explicit sexual content and offence.
A rep for Channel 5 told Ent Daily: “The Sex Business is a programme of public interest, offering a unique insight into an industry employing around 100,000 people in the UK.
“We note that Ofcom considered this was a serious observational documentary and that the inclusion of sexual content clearly supported the editorial purpose, presenting the lives and experiences of the workers featured in the series.
“Although there were very clear warnings as to the explicit nature of the content both before the programme and every break part, we acknowledge the findings from Ofcom and will reflect on the decision before repeating any of the episodes in question.”
It comes after viewers shared their thoughts on the second series of the graphic shows.
Last week, viewers were shocked when scenes showed OAPS pleasuring themselves.
85-year-old Norm, 72-year-old Pippa Jayne and 58-year-old Abby Roberts featured in the Channel 5 reality show as they opened up about their lives as sex workers.
Norm, who was in Amsterdam for his second porn shoot, was seen masturbating for the camera before engaging in a sex scene with his housemate Brad.
Meanwhile, Pippa Jayne was back in the UK and spoke about having worked as a transgender escort since her mid 50s.
Pippa recently had a sex change from male to female.
Pippa spoke to the camera about her range of dildos, which she has to use to maintain her new vagina after undergoing surgery.
She then demonstrated how she uses the dildos, before saying: “You have to dilate three times a day in the beginning, then it goes down to twice a day and then its down to once a day at the moment.
Taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the graphic show, viewers couldn’t believe what they were watching.
One person said: “Me, currently #TheSexBusiness #OAPsOnTheGame,” alongside a gif of someone throwing up.
Me, currently #TheSexBusiness #OAPsOnTheGame pic.twitter.com/2ETkqX9zXg
— Baroness Beckie (@Beckie_Miller_) 18 June 2019
I’m going to need some serious counselling after this 😫 #TheSexBusiness #OAPsOnTheGame
— Baroness Beckie (@Beckie_Miller_) 18 June 2019
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Another wrote: “I’m going to need some serious counselling after this 😫 #TheSexBusiness #OAPsOnTheGame.”
A third tweeted: “@channel5_tv I don’t know where to look watching #TheSexBusiness. SO SO GRAPHIC!!!!”
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