Channel 4 under fire for deepfake Queen's Christmas message

Channel 4 has sparked controversy and debate with a deepfake video of the Queen as an alternative to her traditional festive broadcast, to be aired on Christmas Day. The broadcaster will show a five-minute video in which a digitally altered version of the Queen shares her reflections on the year, including the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as senior royals and the Duke of York's involvement with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The deepfake Queen, voiced by the actor Debra Stephenson, can also be seen performing a dance routine from social media platform TikTok. Channel 4 said the broadcast was intended to give a "stark warning" about the threat of fake news in the digital era, with its director of programmes, Ian Katz, describing the video as a "a powerful reminder that we can no longer trust our own eyes". Some experts suggested the broadcast might make the public think deepfake technology was more commonly used than is the case.