"I think the feeling was that if we can’t honestly name a Blue Peter cat, then really that is perhaps the last straw in this whole fiasco."

So said an unnamed BBC source in the Guardian about the latest case of alleged viewer deception at a British broadcaster. The article suggests that the name chosen for the new Blue Peter cat – Socks – was not the one that came top in an online poll and the situation was not explained to viewers.

I can’t help thinking that is taking things a tad too seriously. How can anything this trivial compare with the thousands of pounds made from viewers calling broadcasters’ premium rate phone line competitions?

Finally, I wonder who chose the name Shep for the famous Blue Peter dog of the 1970s? I don’t remember having a say!