Channel 4 bosses to tighten rules on Child Genius quiz after row over cheating parents suspends filming
BOSSES on Channel 4’s Child Genius are set to tighten rules on parental behaviour after a cheating row broke out.
One mum said kid quizzers were being helped from the sidelines — but was accused by viewers of doing the same thing herself.
Filming was suspended while parents were warned about their conduct on the show, which aims to find Britain’s brainiest child.
It came after contestants tried to memorise a bus stop map, which included Kensal Rise in North West London.
Olivia, 12, then hesitated when she was later asked to complete the name Kensal by Child Genius host Richard Osman.
However, her mum Susan was seen to make a rising gesture with her hand while dad Rob lifted up a banner with Olivia’s name on.
After their girl then gave the correct answer, a viewer tweeted: “Blatant cheating going on there.”
Others were then stunned when Susan confronted show adjudicator Olivia van der Werff and told her she had seen parents “mouthing the answers” to their kids.
One viewer asked of Susan, from North London: “How can you kick off about cheating?!”
Olivia vowed “serious repercussions” if it was true — then gave parents a dressing-down in last night’s show.
She said: “Quite a lot of you, when you know the answer, you are saying it to yourself.
"However if your child was looking at you at that point and if they were able to work out what you were saying, you would help them.”
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
She added: “You need to be very, very careful because if I believe your child has benefited from you, whether you meant to help or not, we will have to take whatever action we think is appropriate.”
Sources close to the show say chiefs are set to strengthen rules about parents’ behaviour for the next series.
An insider told The Sun: “Programme bosses are looking into whether they can make it tougher next year in terms of making sure there is no parental influence during the rounds.”
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: “The independent adjudicator is satisfied there was no cheating taking place.”
- MORE British mums (51 per cent) would prefer their children to be the life and soul of the party rather than intelligent (ten per cent), according to a survey.