A week in the much-maligned English seaside resort of Bognor Regis has been named as a booby prize in a television quiz, causing anger among tourist bosses and councillors.
The ITV series Bognor or Bust, hosted by shamed presenter Angus Deayton, will be a news quiz in which contestants will try to avoid “winning” a week in the resort.
According to The Times, which this morning reports the story, the south coast resort pulls in some 1.5 million visitors a year, generating some £50 million for the local economy.
The newspaper quotes councillor Sylvia Oliver as saying: “It is disgraceful for a TV company to pick on our town like this. We rely on tourism as a major industry, and people who live and work here are very proud of this traditional and beautiful town.
‘Last year we had the most hours of sunshine on the mainland, we have beautiful beaches and plenty of attractions. Bognor is not a booby prize, it’s a first prize.”
The town’s tourism officer Tim Bell added: “It will take more than a game show to affect Bognor’s economy.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
