BBC hit by viewers' backlash as it pays Katie Price for documentary

The BBC has come under fire for scheduling a documentary on Katie Price and her disabled son Harvey after she escaped jail for driving under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. Katie Price: What Harvey Did Next, which airs tomorrow, features the former glamour model calling from the Priory clinic, where she was treated for mental health issues instead of going to prison.

It is understood she was paid to take part in the programme, which was commissioned three weeks before she flipped her BMW X5 into a hedge close to her £1.5 million home at 6am last September.

The documentary has prompted fierce debate at the Corporation, with critics claiming the decision to commission the film sacrificed morals for viewing figures.

A BBC1 documentary in January last year, Katie Price: Harvey And Me, was deemed a success after it pulled in five million viewers and was popular with the 16-to-24 age group that TV bosses treasure.

One source said: ‘The commissioning of this show has gone down like a lead balloon among some staff. They can’t believe Katie is being paid and given airtime after she could have killed someone.’

It is understood Katie Price was paid to take part in the programme, which was commissioned three weeks before she flipped her BMW X5 into a hedge close to her £1.5 million home at 6am last September. Pictured: Katie and Harvey

The show has also prompted fury on social media. One Twitter user said: ‘Can someone please explain to me why the BBC is giving this p***head junkie, drunk driver, any airtime at all?’

The documentary will show Harvey, 19, moving to National Star College in Cheltenham, a specialist further education institution equipped to deal with his complex medical needs that include autism.

Price – who has been banned from driving on four occasions – could have been jailed for up to six months but was instead given a 16-week suspended sentence, 100 hours’ community work and a two-year road ban after she complied with court terms to seek hospital treatment.

The BBC said: ‘This film is very much focused on Harvey. It does address Katie Price’s arrest, following her car accident, in the context of how Harvey’s life would be impacted if something had happened to his mum.’

Price – who has been banned from driving on four occasions – could have been jailed for up to six months but was instead given a 16-week suspended sentence, 100 hours’ community work and a two-year road ban after she complied with court terms to seek hospital treatment