TV phone-ins should be banned to protect the simple minded people who participate in them.

Casper Slides, Ibiza, Spain

Imposing heavy fines is all very well, but this TV viewer wants to see the culprits put in the dock and hopefully prison. Just where did this culture of dishonesty and deceit begin and why was it ever deemed acceptable? Ant and Dec: can't believe as executive directors they were so clueless either!

Phillip Anderton, Poole, England

If you are daft enough to vote for something using premium rate 'phone lines seems to me you are a mug anyway.

However, what it does illustrate is that much of what appears on TV is contrived, not really what it seems and sometimes downright dishonest!

Time for a proper audit of these people.

doug, Manchester,

All this is small potatoes compared to Simon Fuller's cash machine, a.k.a. 'American Idol' which took in 51 million votes last night. It boggles the mind how much money the franchise is making on little teeny boppers using Mum and Dad's phone to call multiple times. The scope for fiddling is huge.

Colin Suter, Shaftesbury, UK

In a country where all are rewarded by awards of some sort, it is hardly surprising. The Queen started the trend with the Sirs of some sort. Add to the list the Bafta, the Oscars and zillion of other rewards across the planet, that have no other aim, than making a few lots of money. No hopes there.

lauren, London, UK

Did Zara Phillips really receive the most votes in the BBC sports personality Of The Year awards in 2006?!?

James, london,

I laugh at all those who bother to vote in any of these farcical shows and I fart in the general direction of Ant , Dec and Robbie . Am i right to feel this way ? If you think so ring ... if not ring ... Suckers .

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

What a hoot! These premium rate phone lines are merely a way of separating the gullible from their cash anyway, so I don't suppose a lot of harm was done.

The money would have been spent on something equally idiotic if it hadn't gone to the promoters......

Jeremy Fry, Gateshead, UK

How sad of Robbie Williams. I feel bad for Ant & Dec though. I think theres been enough of these phone-in voting scandals for us all to accept that we shouldn't waste our time or money on them

Claire, Dublin,

As huge amounts of money was conned out of people who phoned in to these and many other shows, how come nobody, as yet, has been arrested and charged with fraud?

In any other area of life, that is what would happen (except politics).

sedgwick, London, UK

My opinion is that they are all rigged and purely there for revenue generation!

Kazza, Melbourne, Australia

Doesn't it all seem a bit childish? If you present an award you present an award...why insist on only doing so if you can give it to Ant'n'Dec...what's that all about? And how weak of the event organisers to ensure this would happen....and how awful to make the viewers look like fools...

Mark Lewis, Manchester, UK

Ashley Jensen from Extra's won an award for best comedy actress, beating Catherine Tate. This award was also presented by Robbie Williams. Is there any more on this?

Lawrence, Birmingham, UK

It certainly opens up the question once again as to whether placing Rhydian second in the Xfactor series - and pronouncing Leon the winner- last December was also a 'fix'

Clare Birch, Sittingbourne,

It certainly opens up the question once again as to whether Leon's win over Rhydian in last December's Xfactor was also a fix.

Clare Birch, Sittingbourne,

Richard, Kiev: I don't think I'm being naive here - I doubt very much that Ant and Dec would rig this kind of thing. They were at the top of their game at the time, so it's not like they needed the marketing and money that comes from this. This sounds like floor level producer incompetence to me.

Paul Tinker, Henley-on-Thames, England

i worked for a (very minor) tv channel once for a few months as a production assistant. We had a competition where viewers had to phone in and vote for something and i'm pretty sure my boss went with her choice of winner and ignored the results of the phone in.

mia, london, uk

Ant and Dec were publicly promoted as 'Associate Producers' of the show. How come they didn't know ? I find it difficult to believe they did not know what their mate Robbie was up to. They go to soccer matches with him - and he didn't let it slip ?
Deeply surprising!

Richard, Kiev, Ukraine

Now we know where the Mugabe learned the ropes...

Rui, Lisbon,

I trust the Ofcom files will be passed to the criminal authorities as this appears to be a clear case of fraud. Individuals were defrauded of money when taking part in these pay to vote or pay to play schemes.

Jonathan Mills, Brighton,