BBC admits Casualty smoking storyline did not have to be dropped

Clare Hudson, head of productions for BBC Wales, originally said plot was dropped due to Wales's tough anti-smoking lawshe BBC has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn over claims that it had to axe a storyline in Casualty about the dangers of smoking because of Wales's stringent anti-smoking laws.
BBC Wales head of productions Clare Hudson made the comment in evidence to members of the Welsh national assembly earlier this week, highlighting the difficulties that tough smoking regulations posed for programme-makers which she said could cost the Welsh economy up to £20m a year.
However, the BBC has now offered its "sincere apologies" after admitting that the plot did not have to be changed after all. Marlboro Red cigarettes , Winston cigarettes.
The BBC said an alternative way had been found of filming the scene in BBC1's long-running hospital drama, about a smoker who inadvertently set fire to a hotel, and took the unusual step of asking for the assembly minutes to be changed.
"In the session, reference was made to an occasion where a proposed Casualty storyline had to be dropped due to complications around filming a lit cigarette," said the BBC in a statement issued on Thursday.
"It has since been drawn to our attention by the Casualty production team that they found an alternative way of shooting the relevant scene.
"To be clear, no change was made to the plot of that episode. The evidence presented was given in good faith based on information we now know to be incorrect."
Hudson gave evidence to an assembly committee on Tuesday, in a session examining whether film sets should be exempt from the smoking ban, as they already are in England.
She said the tough anti-smoking laws in Wales – which unlike in England also prevent actors lighting up on set – meant programme-makers had to cross the border to film smoking scenes in Bristol, costing up to £5,000 a day or up to £30,000 for computer-generated solutions.
Casualty is filmed at the Roath Lock studios in Cardiff, part of a BBC drama boom in South Wales, where Doctor Who and Sherlock are also filmed.
Hudson said smoking regulations had also caused difficulties in the filming of Upstairs, Downstairs.
She told the committee: "Our drama in Wales has been growing very steadily over the past few years. We don't want to see that growth capped on the basis of the current legislation.
"Without the additional burden of this regulation we would become more successful. It would be part of a fantastic set of incentives to attract dramas here."
A BBC spokesman said: "In the interest of presenting the facts as accurately as possible, we have asked the chairman to draw this to the attention of subcommittee members.
"We have also asked the subcommittee chairman for any guidance he can give on amending this part of our written supplementary evidence in light of this and have expressed our sincere apologies for this error."
The issue of smoking on film sets has divided members of the Welsh assembly, with a vote on the issue to introduce a Welsh government-backed exemption, expected later in the spring.
Critics including anti-smoking groups and the British Heart Foundation have said there is no justification for changing the law.