Acu Seeds: the BBC is STILL dismissing people’s complaints – so, here’s what to do next

The BBC has been issuing stock responses to chronically ill people over a now-notorious episode of Dragon’s Den that featured the Acu Seeds product. A lot of people living with the disease the programme discussed, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) are too unwell to keep having to jump through the BBC‘s complaint hoops just to have their voices heard.

So, here’s a summary of how to follow up your SECOND complaint to the BBC – along with a response you can copy and paste, which should fit most people’s complaints.

As the Canary previously reported, there has been a scandal over Giselle Boxer’s Acu Seeds product and the BBC giving it a platform. In short, Boxer claimed these ear seeds helped cure her ME. The dragons lapped this up. However, this angered the chronic illness community – because it is highly unlikely that Acu Seeds did anything for Boxer’s illness.

What is ME?

ME is a chronic disease that affects almost every system in people’s bodies – like the immune, nervous, digestive, and hormonal systems. Many of its symptoms majorly impact a patient’s day-to-day life – like cognitive impairment, profound and disabling fatigue, influenza-like symptoms, heart, lung, temperature, and blood pressure dysfunction, hypersensitivities, and digestive dysfunction.

However, the main symptom which sets ME aside from other illnesses is called post-exertional malaise (PEM), the NHS Scotland website says. Oddly, NHS England’s website makes no mention of this. PEM is a worsening of many, if not all, the body’s systems, as well as symptoms, after physical, mental, or emotional exertion.

Research has shown people with ME have a worse quality of life than many cancer patients, people living with type I diabetes, and stroke survivors.

In its worst form, people with severe or very severe ME often cannot eat or drink, are permanently bedbound or hospitalised, cannot sit or stand up, and are completely reliant on others for their care. However, crucially ME can kill people – and has.

In 2021, Maeve Boothby O’Neill died from very severe ME at the age of 27 after the NHS allegedly neglected her. Doctors denied her a feeding tube, and later denied total parenteral nutrition, which could have saved her life. An inquest into Maeve’s case is ongoing. Her father, journalist Sean O’Neill, wrote about his daughter’s story for the Times.

The BBC: issuing stock responses to complaints over Acu Seeds

So, Acu Seeds’ Dragon’s Den appearance rightly caused outrage and upset in the chronic illness community. Nearly 500 people used campaign group the Chronic Collaboration and the Canary‘s interactive complaint form to formally take the issue up with Ofcom. However, on social media people were unhappy with the BBC‘s response when they complained to it initially.

The response from the broadcaster was to issue people with a statement identical to the one on its website.

Now, people are unhappy with the BBC‘s response when they complained to it for a second time, to follow up on their initial complaint.

This is what the BBC sent one complainant:

Essentially, this is the BBC saying ‘well, clearly you were upset; we put a note on the programme, so SURELY you must be happy now?’ Of course, this is not good enough at all – as Boxer’s product is still on the Dragon’s Den episode, and the note the BBC added to the show in no way goes far enough to address the myriad issues with it.

So, if you have complained to the BBC for a second time, and it’s sent you an unacceptable response, here’s how to follow it up.

The BBC complaints framework consists of three stages:

1. You directly complain to the BBC via its website here.
2. If you are not happy with its response, you must complain again via the BBC website stating why you want it to reconsider your original complaint (you cannot complain about new things).
3. If you are not happy with the next response they give, you then complain to the Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). When the BBC responds to part two, it should tell you how to complain to the ECU.

You can read the full BBC Complaints Framework here.

Here’s how to complain to the BBC

So, here’s how to do part three of the above process – complaining to the ECU – assuming you’ve already done parts one and two.

1. Follow the link you were sent by the BBC in its follow up email to your complaint.
2. Enter your email and it will ask you to verify this.
3. Where it says “Please enter your complaint”, firstly put in what you previously complained about – but summarise it if possible, sticking to key points like “the Dragon’s Den episode was not impartial”, “the episode provided inaccurate information”, and so on. Then, copy and paste the following (this hopefully should cover most people’s complaints):

Specifically, I believe the programme breached the following parts of the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines.

One) section 3 “Accuracy”, subsection 3, paragraph 9 (“Reporting Statistics and Risk”). 

Episode 3 (series 21) of Dragon’s Den, specifically the Acu Seeds’ segment, would fall under these guidelines. The founder’s claims on the programme could encourage people living with ME/CFS to believe that Acu Seeds could treat or cure their illness – which may lead to psychological distress and potential health side effects (due to Acu Seeds not having been medically tested). Moreover, ME/CFS has no known cause, treatment, or cure – therefore Dragon’s Den promoting Acu Seeds as a treatment for it could cause individuals to alter their behaviour etc etc.

Therefore, we believe this episode of Dragon’s Den breached the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines, as the episode was inaccurate. 

Two) section 3 “Accuracy“, subsection 3, paragraph 16 (“Avoiding Misleading Audiences”).

Episode 3 (series 21) of Dragon’s Den, specifically the Acu Seeds’ segment, would fall under these guidelines. Specifically, the founder’s claims and the BBC’s additional information it added on screen to the episode still serve to mislead audience members. The founder’s claims on the programme could encourage people living with ME/CFS to believe that Acu Seeds could treat or cure their illness – which may lead to psychological distress and potential health side effects (due to Acu Seeds not having been medically tested). Then, the BBC’s additional information it added on screen specifically states “Acu Seeds are not intended as a cure for any medical condition”. However, this still leaves viewers under the impression Acu Seeds could be a treatment for a medical condition – specifically, due to the founder’s claims around it and ME/CFS – thus misleading the audience. 

Therefore, we believe this episode of Dragon’s Den breached the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines, as the episode was inaccurate. 

Three) section 4 “Impartiality”, subsection 3, paragraph 26 (“Drama, Entertainment and Culture”). 

Episode 3 (series 21) of Dragon’s Den, specifically the Acu Seeds’ segment, would fall under science as a controversial subject – therefore, section 4, subsection 3, paragraph 26 would therefore apply in this instance, as the episode was not impartial. 

ME/CFS is a controversial subject in science – as there is no agreed cause, treatment, or cure. The founder’s claims on the programme could lead the audience to believe there was a treatment and/or cure for ME/CFS when one currently does not exist. Dragon’s Den therefore should have applied section 4, subsection3, paragraph 26 of the editorial guidelines.

Therefore, we believe this episode of Dragon’s Den again breached the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines.

Try to keep all this under 1,000 words, as per the BBC guidelines.

The Canary hopes this will be enough to cover most people’s complaints.

In the next section, the BBC complaints website asks you for the case number (of the complaint, this should be in the BBC‘s response to you).

You can then review your answers and send it off.

Acu Seeds: let’s see what happens next

The BBC Complaints Framework states it should respond to your second complaint within 20 working days.

Once it responds again, you can escalate it to the ECU.

Spoiler alert: it’s likely the BBC will dismiss people’s follow-up complaints, and send out stock responses to everyone again. Don’t think it’s anything you’ve done. This is just what our supposed public service broadcaster does.

If you want more support with doing this, please email editors(at)thecanary.co

Featured image via BBC iPlayer