When the presenter of Amoo Pourang (Uncle Pourang), a programme watched by millions of Iranian children three times a week on state TV, asked the name of the toy the boy had been given as a reward for behaving himself, the child replied: "Well, my father calls him Ahmadinejad."
The father's likely unease at his son's honesty was matched by the programme makers after the state broadcaster, IRIB, immediately responded by removing the show from viewing schedules, The Guardian reported.
The popular show has been running for a very successful seven years but is now due to screened for the final time next week, the paper added.
Jahan News, a conservative website, said the decision was sparked by "the high financial and spiritual damage" caused by live broadcasts.
| The surest way to demonstrate that someone is a thug is to watch their response when ridiculed. |
Eluding to the naming of the monkey, the statement highlighted an incident in which "a child in a live telephone line compared its doll to one of the well-known authorities and managers".
The incident is the latest in a series of embarrassing admissions by children on live Iranian television.
Once, the presenter, Dariush Farziayi, was left speechless after asking a participant to hand the phone to his mother or father, only to be told, "They are in the shower," The Guardian said. |