Read the Times Online posting here

ITV provoked a storm of controversy by declaring that it would broadcast the last breath of a dying Alzheimer’s victim – but the company was forced to admit yesterday that Malcolm Pointon had passed away days after the cameras had left his bedside.

The new furore over television “fakery” came about after Mr Pointon’s brother Graham posted a message on Times Online, disclosing that ITV had misrepresented the final scenes.

The incident came to light days after Michael Grade, ITV Executive Chairman, promised “zero tolerance” over any cases of misleading viewers.

However, in an interview promoting the programme, Barbara Pointon, his wife, had said: “I’m sure I will be pilloried for allowing his death to be shown, but it had to be done.”

In article about the programme she wrote: “The death scene, which . . . was filmed without being intrusive, serves a purpose and makes the important point that in dementia we confront a killer disease.”

Malcolm and Barbara: Love’s Farewell, due to be shown on ITV1 next Wednesday, is a poignant film that depicts the final, painful moments of Mr Pointon, 66, who had Alzheimer’s diagnosed when he was 51. It was shot by Paul Watson, an acclaimed documentary-maker.

Publicity material released for the show, said: “The film ends when Barbara calls Paul to ask him to come as Malcolm is about to die.”

At the moment of “death”, his wife of 43 years strokes his head and tells him: “You can let go. Death isn’t the end, because love goes on.” The film freezes on Mr Pointon’s face, giving the impression that he has died.

Those “last moments” prompted a week of debate. Graham Pointon’s post on Times Online came in response to an article headlined: “A man’s death is not a spectacle for TV”.

“In the new film,” he wrote, “we see my brother, Malcolm Pointon, dying. We do not see him die – filming finished three days before Malcolm stopped breathing, so the argument about the ethics of showing this on television, while important, does not apply to this case.”

Simon Shaps, ITV’s Director of Television, was informed of the Times Online posting. He issued a statement within hours confirming Mr Pointon’s version of events.

He said: “The film-maker responsible, Paul Watson, has now confirmed that the film does not portray the moment of Malcolm’s passing, which was in fact some days later. This will be made clear at the end of the film and should have been made clear earlier.”

Mr Pointon said that he was pleased with the response, and that the film did not need sensationalising.

“Most viewers would assume that you see Malcolm die. I am a linguist and there is an important distinction between a person dying and the moment when a person actually dies.”

Mr Watson said in publicity material that Mrs Pointon had asked him to film “to the bitter end”. He said of his work: “[Editing] is where you play god, and if you don’t play god truthfully, there’s no point. You might as well write a drama.”

The omission places ITV under renewed pressure as it awaits the results of a Deloitte investigation into irregularities in the operation of television phone-in votes on its channels.

A second GMTV executive resigned yesterday over the irregularities. Kate Fleming, controller of enterprises, was in charge of competitions.

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