By ALAN PERROTT
A Government-funded study into violence on television has branded the worst offenders.
Based on the most graphic violence, where pain and harm were judged as extreme for most of the programme and without humour, the worst shows were:
* Doctors, TV One (documentary).
* John Doe, TV3 (drama series).
* Vortech, TV3
(film).
* Pokemon, TV3 (cartoon).
* CSI Miami, TV3 (crime series).
* 24, TV3 (action series).
* CSI, TV3 (crime series).
* America's Most Wanted, TV4 (reality series).
* Medical Horrors, Prime (documentary).
The shows featuring the highest incidence of violence were:
* Classic Cartoon, TV2 (cartoons).
* Mad, Mad World of Sport, Prime (sports series).
* WNTV, TV2 (children's magazine show).
* Rugrats, Nickelodeon (cartoon series).
* Action League, Nickelodeon (cartoon series).
* Cat Dog, TV2 (cartoon).
* Pokemon, TV3 (cartoon).
* New Woody Woodpecker Show, TV3 (cartoon).
* Aladdin, TV2 (cartoon).
* The Angry Beavers, Nickelodeon (cartoon).
The lists are based on 572 hours of programming recorded over one week last year. The channels studied were TV One, TV2, TV3, TV4, Prime, Sky1, Nickelodeon and Sky Movies.
Study chairman Dr Rajen Prasad said they defined a violent act as any action that caused physical harm to a person or an inanimate being.
TV One was found to have the lowest level of violence among the channels studied, with just over two incidents per hour.
The highest levels of violence were found on Sky Movies, at 12 an hour, and cartoon channel Nickelodeon, 13 an hour.
