London - The BBC has introduced new security measures to stop hoaxers appearing on programmes such as The Vanessa Show following reports that some shows had featured bogus characters.
Sources at the corporation said that the Director-General, Sir John Birt, was taking a close interest into the inquiries surrounding the hoaxing of the programme.
The Vanessa Show, a morning chat-show hosted by Vanessa Feltz, was accused last week hiring models, actresses and strippers from an agency to pose as different characters. The BBC said in a statement that since Thursday all guests were required, before a broadcast, to sign a declaration certifying that they would be truthful.