Renwick resisted the BBC's attempt to broadcast the episode at Christmas, feeling that such scheduling would contrast unfavourably with the grimness of the show and would be viewed as an overt attempt to garner high ratings. The controller of BBC1 relented and the episode was first transmitted on BBC One on 20 November 2000. The broadcast coincided with the transmission of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"'s first UK jackpot win. Some people within the BBC alleged that Celador, the production company in charge of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" had rigged Judith Keppel's victory to spoil the BBC's expected high ratings for the sitcom's finale. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) cleared Celador and ITV of any wrongdoing.