2,020 complaints received over Diana documentary

A Channel 4 documentary featuring photographs of the car crash which fatally injured Diana, Princess of Wales, attracted 2,020 complaints from viewers.

Diana: The Witnesses in the Tunnel, told the story of her death from the point of view of the French paparazzi who were tailing her when her Mercedes, driven by Henri Paul, crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in August 1997.

Princes William and Harry had appealed to Channel 4 not to use the pictures, saying plans to do so left them "deeply distressed" and showed "gross disrespect" to their mother's memory.

But the programme was broadcast uncut on Wednesday after Channel 4 decided that the princes' request did not outweigh the wider public interest.

Although the pictures showed medics treating Diana while she was still in the wrecked car, her face was not visible in the images. The media watchdog, Ofcom, also received 24 complaints, and is considering whether they merit an official investigation.

The documentary was seen by 3.8 million viewers, rising to 4.2 million in its last 15 minutes - after the controversial pictures had been screened.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "This is a strong performance for a history documentary and it seems viewers tuned in to make up their own minds."

Only 80 of the total number of complaints came after the programme was broadcast, and Channel 4 also received 55 appreciative comments post-transmission, he said.

Diana: The Witnesses in the Tunnel was, however, beaten in the ratings by The Apprentice, on BBC1 at the same time, which drew 6.2 million viewers, or 27 per cent of viewers compared with the Diana documentary's 17 per cent. The 9pm slot on Channel 4 usually receives four million viewers. By comparison, Grand Designs, which normally occupies that slot, gets up to five million viewers and last week's Big Brother launch show got 6.2 million.