ITV suspends its phone-ins and calls for security review

In a dramatic move, ITV is to suspend all of its premium-rate phone-ins and interactive competitions from today, following recent controversies over its role in several television programmes.

The broadcaster said it had also asked the auditors Deloitte to conduct an urgent security review of the interactive parts of its output, which would only return to the screen programme by programme once they had been individually cleared.

Although the decision puts pressure on the BBC, which is at the centre of an inquiry into the use of premium-rate calls on the Saturday Kitchen show, the corporation said last night it would not follow ITV's example.

The ITV decision affects its standalone channel, ITV Play, which will come off the air today, as well as Dancing on Ice and the popular daytime programmes Loose Women and This Morning, which will temporarily lose their interactive elements.

John Cresswell, chief operating officer of ITV said the review would be "swift and thorough''. He added: "We believe that all programmes currently on air are compliant. However, in light of recent concern around this issue, something affecting every major broadcaster, we are conducting this independent review to ensure that ITV is meeting all relevant codes and regulations.''

The announcement will reinforce concern among viewers about alleged irregularities in the use of premium-rate calls. The X Factor is the latest show to be at the centre of controversy, after it was disclosed last week that viewers were charged extra for calls during every live show in the last series. The error - affecting 1.3 million votes - occurred when viewers who voted for their favourite contestant by pressing the red button on their remote controls should have been charged 35p. Instead the calls cost 50p, making ITV an extra £200,000. The first sign of faults in telephone voting came when it was disclosed that callers to Richard and Judy's You Say, We Pay competition on Channel 4 were encouraged to telephone in the hope of taking part although contestants had already been selected.

On BBC, Saturday Kitchen was said to have misled viewers by mistakenly giving the impression that the show was live, although it had been recorded a week earlier. It asked viewers to vote for which of two meals Eamonn Holmes should eat. However, Holmes was presenting his slot on BBC Radio Five Live at the time of the broadcast.

On Sunday, there were claims that contestants in a competition on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway had been chosen before viewers were asked to phone in. The regulator Icstis is investigating all the incidents.

Mr Cresswell added: "This is a concern across the whole industry but ITV viewers can be confident that we will always act responsibly and take firm action to address issues that may arise. Millions of people enjoy interacting with ITV - either by voting in our entertainment programmes or by taking part in prize competitions. It is critical that our viewers have absolute confidence in the services we offer.''

ITV sources said it would liaise with Icstis over the review. It will give priority to Dancing On Ice, which is expected to be cleared in order for the semi-final to be screened on Saturday. Pokerface, presented by Ant and Dec, which featured a competition in the last series, and finished on Saturday, will also be examined, along with other shows currently off-air.

ITV Play, launched a year ago, was reported to have made more than £9m in four months.

The BBC said: "Criticism of Saturday Kitchen was about a lack of clarity in the scripting of a pre-recorded programme, not of the way phone lines were operated or calls handled. All callers had a genuine chance of appearing in a future programme.''