Coronation Street stars plug fake firm's products in Channel 4 Dispatches sting

Coronation Street stars plug fake firm's products in Channel 4 Dispatches sting

Everything about the undercover TV sting was fake â€" apart from the diva-style antics and demands of some of the Coronation Street stars who fell for it.

Many of the soap favourites revealed some surprising behaviour after Channel 4’s Dispatches programme set up a bogus stand at a “gifting suite” in Manchester â€" where celebrities offered to tweet endorsements or be photographed carrying products in exchange for free designer goods, cosmetic dental treatments and beauty products.

The fake stall at the Celebrity Retreat event offered “luxury” tonics and creams supposedly from Bali, Indonesia. But none of the items was genuine.

A blue bottle of “toner” contained nothing but tap water, despite its impressing sounding label “Puttana Aziendale” â€" which actually translates as “Corporate Prostitute” in Italian.

And the cameras were secretly rolling as stars and ex ecutives from the long-running ITV show asked for handfuls of free products in exchange for plugs.

Freebies: Shobna Gulati

A source said: “Many of the Corrie cast come across very, very badly in the footage.

"They are shown demanding handfuls of free goods in exchange for tweets or photographs, and behaving like total divas.

“It will be mortifying for them, but shows their true colours to the TV audience for the first time.

"Some of them are totally shameless and will clearly do almost anything for a freebie.

“Fans of the show will be shocked and appalled at the way some of them behave.

"It throws the murky world of underhand celebrity endorsement deals into the public eye.

“Young fans may believe that all these endorsements are genuine, but in fact many are just shameless plugs in exchange for freebies.

“The stars negotiate hard to get as much free stuff as possible.”

Plug: Catherine Tyldesley with bag

Programme makers set up the stand at Manchester’s Great John Street Hotel and offered the free beauty products to stars willing to pose in front of a branded advertising board.

Undercover reporters told cast members including Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster), Catherine Tyldesley (Eva Price) and Georgia May Foote (Katy Armstrong) that the Puttana Aziendale toner came from a well in Bali, and contained vitamins and minerals with incredible skin rejuvenating properties.

The brand also handed out bracelets said to generate “positive energy”

The so-called Zionate Bracelet, â€" described as “hand-crafted and blessed by Buddhist monks”, was just cheap costume jewellery.

Actress Cherylee Houston, who plays Izzy Armstrong, posted a photo of herself with the products online writing: “I’ve slept in my bracelet and I’ve sprayed my face several times. Thank you so much I love them!”

Brooke Vincent later posted online to her 350,000 Twitter followers: “Thank you to @aziendale for my lovely healing anklet!”

Co-star Krissi Bohner added: “@Aziendale Love my bracelet! Thanks guys â€" my cold hands will become a thing of the past!”

Giveaway: Georgia May Foote

Others at the event, which featured brands bidding for plugs by handing out freebies, included Shobna Gulati (Sunita Alahan) and ITV staff working on the soap.

The Dispatches team also created a fake website to go with their bogus designer product.

It proclaimed: “Puttana Aziendale hold the key to unlocking mysterious powers from far-flung lands and are delighted to share them with those who deserve no less than a faultless mind, body and soul.”

Entrance to the event was by invitation only, and also included stars of Hollyoaks and failed Liverpool-based reality show Desperate Scousewives.

Genuine freebies on offer in exchange for a tweet included expensive jewellery, free dental work, electronic cigarettes, Sienna fake tan, Lipstick UK dresses and a Bananagrams board game.

An ITV source last night insisted: “Allegations have been made that are false and highly defamatory, and ITV have written to the producer threatening legal action if t hey decide to broadcast the programme.”

Endorsement: Brooke Vincent with the bag

 

A Channel 4 spokesman refused to comment.

Last year the Advertising Standards Authority launched an investigation into an alleged Twitter product placement advertising campaign by Mars.

The confectionery giant apparently hired footballer Rio Ferdinand and model Katie Price to push Snickers bars.

Both celebs tweeted photos of themselves posing with the snack.

ASA spokesman Matt Wilson said: “Following two complaints, the ASA has launched a formal investigation into tweets by Katie Price and Rio Ferdinand to establish whether Mars’ @SnickersUK# hungry#spon campaign is in breach of the Advertising Codes.”

The complaints were triggered after the pair began posting a series of out-of-character tweets â€" with Price commenting on the state of the global economy and macho Manchester United centre back Ferdinand tweeting about knitting.

Price then said that she wasn’t quite herself because she was hungry and posted a photo of herself w ith a Snickers bar with the tagline @Snickers UK#hungry#spon.

Similar tweets by cricketer Ian Botham, boxing champ Amir Khan and X Factor success story Cher Lloyd were also being looked into.

Mars, the manufacturer of Snickers, confirmed that five celebrities had been paid to promote the bar on Twitter as part of their new “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign.

But the posts may be in breach of strict UK advertising codes.

A spokesman for the Office of Fair Trading said: “Online advertising and marketing practices that do not disclose they include paid-for promotions are deceptive under fair trading laws.”