Young viewers exposed to 'excessive alcohol content' in Geordie Shore

Nearly 80 per cent of all scenes throughout season 11 of MTV's popular hyper-reality show Geordie Shore contained alcohol content or alcohol use according to the results of a new study published today by researchers at the universities of Bath and Nottingham. The authors behind the paper - published in the journal Alcohol & Alcoholism - suggest that more needs to be done to protect young viewers from alcohol imagery and its harmful effects, including a potential review of age classification policy for the programme. By coding 7 hours of footage over 10 episodes of season 11, they found that: - 78 per cent of scenes contained alcohol content 30 per cent of scenes contained actual alcohol use 72 per cent of scenes contained inferred alcohol use 59 per cent of other scenes contained other alcohol references Alcohol brands occurred in nearly a quarter of all scenes (23 per cent) Smirnoff was brand that appeared most frequently, in 43 per cent of all brand appearances Over 60 per cent of brand appearances occurred in episodes which when released on DVD were classified by the BBFC as suitable for viewing by people aged under 18 The UK is currently struggling with the worst binge-drinking rates in Europe. Given the potentially young target audience for Geordie Shore, the wide reach of MTV, and evidence that media exposure to alcohol promotes alcohol consumption by young people, the research team suggest action needs to be taken to address their findings. Advert for drinking. Lead researcher Dr Jo Cranwell from the University of Bath's Department for Health explained: "We expected to find alcohol content across series 11 of Geordie Shore but not at such high levels, or the prominence of particular brands.