The BBC has come under fire for spending thousands of pounds of licence fee payers' money on a guide teaching its staff the correct way to use emojis. The 44-page document was commissioned by executives at the BBC who then hired an agency to research how smiley faces could be used in news stories and on social media. Emoji designers were also told to make graphics for the faces of popular stars such as Gary Lineker and Graham Norton. The BBC spent licence fee payers' money on a 44-page guide on how to use emojis before using a 'sad face' emoticon to describe the death of the world's oldest woman . The 44-page document was commissioned by executives at the BBC who then hired an agency to research how smiley faces could be used in news stories and on social media . Bosses at Radio 1 and Radio 1 Extra were sent the emoticon guide earlier this week, The Sun reported. A source told the newspaper: 'We're used to ridiculous BBC schemes but this is the worst yet. Top brass whinge about budget cuts, then they OK this. It beggars belief.' Emojis, which were first created in Japan, are small digital images used to express an emotion, such as happiness or anger, used by millions of people on social media sites like Facebook and WhatsApp. The corporation used them during an 'Emoji Budget' article following George Osborne's statement last month. The news piece used an emoji of two pint glasses clinking together to show that beer duty had been cut by 1p. The BBC also used a 'sad face' emoji to describe the death of the world's oldest woman, Misao Okawa, 117, from Japan this week. The corporation used the images during an 'Emoji Budget' article, using a picture of pint glasses (right) to show that Chancellor George Osborne had cut beer duty by a penny . Some people commented on the article, posted on BBC News' Facebook page, to criticse the use of the symbol. Walter Lasseigne Parenteau wrote: 'Sad face, BBC? You don't think she had a good run?' Daniel McIntyre-Hoeft said: 'The sad face is a bit inappropriate, don't you think?' Dia Chakravarty from the TaxPayers' Alliance said: 'This would be a fitting April Fool's joke - if we weren't paying for it.' A BBC spokesman said: 'We carry out research to help give our audiences what they want and it's right that we do it.'
BBC paid for research into how smiley faces could be used in news stories . Licence fee payers' money was spent on the 'ridiculous' 44-page document . Designers told to make emojis of Gary Lineker and Graham Norton's faces .