Just want to toss a hand grenade into this thread...
The APR that these companies charge is completely fair, and financially sound.
These are supposed to be very short term loans, and as such the APR you see on screen is not representative of what borrowers pay.
If i leant you £10 today and asked you to pay me back £11 to tomorrow, the APR on that loan would be 365%.
That's why when someone takes out a load for £100 over four weeks, and pays back £150, the APR runs into the thousands.
The charges are publicised up front.
As to whether these companies should be allowed to advertise during childrens' tv - no I don't think the should, however, the concept of childrens' tv is difficult to judge now because of the way we watch telly. If mum and dad tape The X Factor and their kids watch it at 10am on Sunday morning, those ads will be buried in there. Same as any other programme aired before the watershed.