You can talk to the children to the parents - and still society might ask whether it

You can talk to the children, to the parents - and still society might ask whether it is really in the best interests of the child to be in the programme."Channel 4's head of news and current affairs, David Lloyd, says of Staying Lost: "There were lots of rapids to negotiate. But children may, in effect, be in nobody's care or, says Harding, "sometimes you can get all the consents in the world. The basic rule about putting children on television is that parental, guardian or social services consent is needed, as well as the consent of the child. The most important thing was the tone of the programmes - which should not be in any shape or form exploitative."The children were consulted in detail about whether they wanted to be part of the programme, and will be shown the finished product pre-transmission. "Fifty thousand children are in care at any one time, and 10,000 of those are available for adoption. Far fewer people are coming forward than before, and we felt a need to diffuse the myths that convince people that they are too old, not fit enough or not rich enough to adopt a child... But, in practice, producers and editors often find themselves exercising a duty of care in difficult situations which simple rules cannot anticipate.When making A Family Of My Own, says Harding, the BBC dealt with 51 adoption agencies and numerous social services departments.

Broadcasters are not, in the main, careless about their treatment of children in programmes. In fact, they generally put a good deal of effort into weighing up the ethical issues and moral responsibilities that arise when serious factual programmes deal with children - and there have been plenty of these lately, including the BBC's Eyes Of A Child about child poverty in Britain, and Channel 4's controversial Staying Lost, about children living on the streets.Both the Independent Television Commission and the BBC's own guidelines lay down strict rules about dealing with children. Phil Harding, the Corporation's controller of editorial policy, is not pleased by the reaction. "I'm shocked by some of the publicity and press coverage," he says.

"I suspect much of it has been done by people who don't appreciate the care that has gone into the making of the series." He has a point. Unsurprisingly the series, called A Family Of My Own, has attracted the interest of the tabloid press - much of it critical of the BBC for exposing children to a situation rather like "appeals for homes for dogs or cats where hundreds of people write in because one looks particularly cute". IN JANUARY the BBC will screen a series of programmes showing children in care who are seeking adoptive parents. He fights helplessly to gain control and nearly gets there, as he tells the contestant: "When I write my book this is going to be in there. The answer is a violin." DLT then manages to start asking the next contestant a question before losing it completely and calling for Mick the producer to come out of the booth and take over Mick's panic is audible as he asks: "Are we on air?". DLT asks the contestant: "Which instrument does the leader of a symphony orchestra play?" Without missing a beat, the answer comes: "A baton." At which point DLT is overcome with laughter to the point where he is unable to carry on with the show.

I just hope it doesn't damage any of your equipment when it goes." Over a background of huffing and puffing, Batten-Foster describes the producer and sound engineers vacating the studio. Gradually, the wheezing and blowing begins to take on the timbre of a death rattle, and you can hear Batten-Foster's increasing apprehension: "The tension is ridiculous." The explosion, makes me jump. Batten-Foster regains his composure and asks Thor for a comment, he gasps for breath but his revelation is worth the wait "That's how I get my highs," he says "The whole room is spinning. I really believe in my music." It may not be art, but it's brilliant radio.The presenters too have their moments Dave Lee Travis's snooker-style quiz is a treasure. Batten-Foster asks Thor how long the process will take, and Thor candidly explains: "You never know. "We've got our copies." Sid snorts food in agreement.Then there's a truly bizarre interview as Andy Batten-Foster invites heavy-metal hero, Thor, the self-proclaimed "Evil Knievel of Rock" to perform his party piece of blowing up a hot-water bottle until it explodes live on air.