Radio 1's Harry Potter day broke guidelines

The BBC was accused yesterday of "falling under the spell of celebrity" after the BBC Trust ruled that a Harry Potter-themed day on Radio 1 breached editorial guidelines.

The day was timed to coincide with the cinema release of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, the sixth instalment of the franchise. Chris Moyles's breakfast show was one of four programmes to cover it and the station broadcast more than 30 trails for its Potter marathon.

Andrew Harrison, chief executive of the commercial radio trade body Radio Centre, which complained to the trust, said Radio 1 was "hijacked for the promotion of an already successful commercial product".

The BBC rejected the complaint, saying Potter books and films were a "popular culture phenomena", but said it "took note" of the findings.