The Media Show

BBC Parliament is enjoying record ratings as viewers tune in for the latest episode of British political drama. Meanwhile, some MPs have been defying rules and convention by filming proceedings in the House of Commons using their phones, and posting it on social media. Peter Knowles, Controller of BBC Parliament, and Emily Ashton, Senior Political Correspondent at BuzzFeed UK, discuss why Parliament has gone viral. Also in the show, the inside story of the Channel 5 documentary Suicidal and how the producers considered their duty of care to the programme's participants. David Dehaney is Creative Director at Proper Content and Lorna Fraser is Executive Lead at the Media Advisory Service of Samaritans. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Richard Hooper

The rules of politics have gone out the window and momentous political events are happening, it seems, every hour. So how do journalists and TV producers make sense of it for the rest of us? Andrea Catherwood is joined by Nicolai Gentchev, Director of Current Affairs at Mentorn Media, Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor of The Telegraph and Ayesha Hazarika, Diary Editor of The Evening Standard. Also in the show, Dylan Jones, editor in chief of British GQ. Presenter: Andrea Catherwood Producer: Richard Hooper

Around 20% of UK households now own a smart speaker manufactured by the likes of Google and Amazon. But have we really thought through the consequences of letting big tech companies into our homes in such an intimate fashion? In this special edition of The Media Show, Madhumita Murgia looks at privacy concerns around the devices and asks whether they represent the next chapter of the internet. Guests: Emma Kendrew, AI and Intelligent Automation Lead at Accenture, Jen Heape, Co-Founder of Vixen Labs, and Mukul Devichand, Executive Editor at BBC Voice + AI Presenter: Madhumita Murgia Producer: Richard Hooper

Digital advertisers are maintaining blacklists of news topics they disapprove of. Some brands have even added keywords associated with President Trump to their list, meaning publishers are effectively facing a boycott of regular news stories by advertisers. Also in the programme, the Irish government is proposing to replace the country's TV licence fee with a new "device independent broadcasting charge". Critics say any household with a smart phone or laptop would have to pay it, regardless of whether they actually watch RTÉ programmes. And Fun Kids, the digital radio station for children, has launched a podcast network. Julian Worricker is joined by Dee Forbes, Director-General of RTÉ, Laura Slattery, journalist at The Irish Times, Lee Moulding, Integral Ad Science, Shona Ghosh, Senior Tech Reporter at Business Insider, and Matt Deegan, Fun Kids station manager.

The broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is proposing new safeguarding rules for reality or unscripted television and radio shows. It says that “due care must be taken over the welfare, well-being and dignity of participants in programmes." In addition, “participants must not be caused unjustified distress or anxiety by taking part in programmes or by the broadcast of those programmes." Ofcom is currently inviting feedback on these proposals - but what counts as "unjustified distress and anxiety"? After the deaths of three reality show participants, is an overhaul of safeguarding long overdue? Or might tighter rules drive up costs, drive production overseas or block vulnerable people from getting the media platform they want - perhaps to combat stigma or highlight an important issue? And don't we enjoy watching members of the public rise to stressful challenges? Presenter Naga Munchetty - herself a Strictly Come Dancing veteran - hears from: Jonathan Stadlen, managing director of production company Knickerbockerglory, Dr Penny Brown, consultant in forensic psychiatry at King's College London and a mental capacity assessor for TV productions, Steve Regan, who used to oversee Big Brother and is a former entertainment commissioner for Channel 5, And Rosie Williams (pictured), who was a contestant on last year's Love Island. Presenter: Naga Munchetty Producer: Paul Waters