The BBC has been slammed by scientists for its portrayal of GM crops in its new two-part drama Fields Of Gold.
The thriller portrays a potential situation where a GM-created superbug kills elderly people and wildlife, and ultimately threatens the world's future.
Programme adviser Mark Tester, a GM crop expert at Cambridge University, has said the programme makers ignored his advice and have created a drama filled with 'ridiculous errors of fact to inflame uninformed anti-GM hysteria.' He has since disowned the show.
With GM crops being touted as a way forward to ease the food shortages in third world countries, creating an alarmist programme could cause viewers to turn against the already-maligned crops in droves, thereby slowing down the process of feeding the hungry nations even more.
Tester added he felt the BBC, which has held strong educational values since its inception in 1953, would be 'abdicating its responsibility to its viewers by broadcasting this error-strewn piece of propaganda.' 'It seems that the makers were blinded by their own political agenda. It is an irresponsible piece of television,' he added.
Despite much media debate, the BBC still intends to shown the drama, which stars Anna Friel, as planned this week with no additional editing.
A spokesman said viewers were intelligent enough to recognise the differences between a drama and a documentary.
He said: 'It's a subject of considerable debate within the scientific community. Like many thrillers, this is a fictional drama which does not purport to be a documentary.'