Entertainment can tick the public service box

The Secret Millionaire

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So Peter Fincham isn't a big fan of Ofcom. In his keynote address at the Edinburgh Television Festival, ITV's director of television launched an attack that wasn't so much thinly veiled as completely unveiled and gloves off on Ofcom's Public Service Broadcasting Report.

In other news, young children aren't keen on injections, Paris Hilton likes the occasional night out and turkeys hate Christmas.

It was a powerful speech, full of passion and common sense, but Ofcom is too easy a target. By their very nature, regulators are bound to be unpopular. Fincham poked some fun, comparing Ofcom to traffic wardens for, in his eyes, focusing on political correctness rather than entertainment.

All of which is very amusing, but Ofcom has never been expressly opposed to any TV channel broadcasting entertainment shows.

TV channels can provide a public service and also entertain viewers. There is no better example than Channel 4's Don't Blame the Builder, which delivered 1.5 million, a 7% share, on Tuesday at 8pm. If this show was anything to go by, the title is a touch misleading. It could more accurately have been called Do Blame the Builder.

OK, it is a pretty middle class problem when the renovation of one's dream home goes wrong, but you couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor couple. This was a warning to all those media types who are having their lofts converted. And it was genuine public service TV, looking after the interests of the minority middle class.

This was followed on Channel 4 by The Secret Millionaire at 9pm. Mrs English, myself and 4.2 million others (a 19% share) sat and had a right good cry as the impossibly rich Nick Leslau gave away hundreds of thousands of pounds to deserving causes in Glasgow.

Again, one cannot argue that this show is not fulfilling Channel 4's public service remit. Good job too, now that Andy Duncan and Luke Johnson will have to justify the channel's performance to a committee of MPs on an annual basis. Ouch.

The Olympics delivered more high volume audiences this week, including the closing ceremony, which drew 5.5 million (a 42% share) to BBC1.

The BBC has proved once more that it is peerless at covering sport. Christine Ohuruogu's 400m gold gave us one of those moments in the office when everyone stops what they're doing, watches the TV and wills the athlete home. Brilliant. The Games Today, Tuesday evening on BBC1, which repeated Ohuruogu's run, was watched by 6 million (30% share), and gave Emmerdale a run for its money. The ITV1 soap delivered 6.5 million, a 32% share.

The X Factor (ITV1) was again the number one show on British television this week. Saturday's show at 7.30pm delivered 9.4 million, a 45% share, and those who saw it were privileged to witness a timelessly funny/embarrassing contestant; the girl with the big mouth. She was so utterly convinced of her success despite the fact she clearly she couldn't actually sing. And then she went and argued with the judges when they hoofed her. "Thousands of people can't be wrong!" she cried. Showbiz lesson number one: a Butlin's crowd can be a fickle mistress.

Peter Fincham, you can tell your friends at Ofcom: that was entertainment.

Adrian English is media director of Carat. Philip Reevell is away.