Ofcom has unveiled its annual list of the most complained about moments of the year, and the top 10 for 2021 have been revealed.
Every year, the British public make formal complaints to Ofcom in their thousands over segments of television, or the shows themselves, that they find offensive or deem to be too inappropriate to be broadcast – and so, every year, the government-approved regulatory authority decides to release a list of the most complained about moments.
2021 has been a record year for complaints in the UK, with Ofcom revealing that more than 150,000 complaints were made throughout the calendar year.
Complaints made about BBC shows do not count and are not included in the list.
“Interestingly, it’s a relatively small number of TV shows driving the lion’s share – the top five most-complained about programmes account for 80% of all complaints,” explained Adam Baxter – Ofcom’s Director of Standards and Audience Protection.
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“Social media also has its influence on complaints figures.
“But for me, these volumes demonstrate the British public’s interest and passion for TV and radio programmes, and shows just how important they are to the cultural fabric of our nation.”
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2021 marks a record year of complaints to our broadcasting standards team.
Your complaints serve a vital purpose in alerting us to your concerns – we assess each and every one against the Broadcasting Code.
Taking the top spot in 2021 was Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan’s controversial comments about Meghan Markle during her interview with Oprah Winfrey, where a total of 54,595 complaints were made, before Morgan was called out by co-presenter Alex Beresford, stormed off the set, and then days later, quit the show.
The actual Meghan and Harry interview was the fourth most controversial TV moment of the year, with 6,486 complaints.
In second place with 24,921 complaints was the episode of Love Island which showed Faye’s heated discussion with Teddy, where she accused him of cheating on her with another contestant – which ultimately turned out to be incorrect.
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The moment where Love Island’s producers sent a postcard from Casa Amor into the main villa to stir up drama, which inadvertently caused Faye to believe Teddy was cheating on her, came in fifth place with 4,337 complaints.
The third most-complained about TV moment was the Channel 5 documentary What Happened to Your Face – with 7,125 people formally complaining about the show’s comments about the appearance of several celebrities.
More than 150,000 complaints were made throughout the calendar year / Credit: ITV | CBS
Top 10 Most Complained About TV Moments 2021
Good Morning Britain (Piers Morgan’s Meghan Markle comments) – 54,595
Love Island (Faye’s treatment of Teddy) – 24,921
What Happened to Your Face (Channel 5) – 7,125
Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey – 6,486
Good Morning Britain (Piers Morgan’s general comments) – 3,249
Good Morning Britain (Dr Hilary Jones criticising fake COVID-19 leaflet) – 2,632
Good Morning Britain (A debate about “ditching unvaccinated friends”) – 2,104
This Morning (A segment titled “How to lose the lockdown pounds”) – 1,942
Featured Image – ITV
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Jack Grealish dedicates first league goal in 16 months to late brother on anniversary of his death
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Jack Grealish held back the tears following his first Premier League goal in more than 16 months, but not in relief after breaking the duck, because it came on a very emotional day for him and his family.
The Man City and England midfielder opened the scoring in the Blues’ 2-0 win against Leicester City on Wednesday night, bringing an end to his goal drought after a total of 473 days.
But what made it even more special is that the game happened to coincide with the anniversary of his late brother Keelan’s death.
Speaking in his post-match interview after picking up the man of the match award, Grealish was in a noticeably quieter mood than his usual charismatic self before revealing that the day marked the 25th anniversary of his younger sibling’s death.
Jack Grealish dedicates his goal to his late brother on the 25th anniversary of his death ❤️ pic.twitter.com/u3toaqZSuR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2025
The 29-year-old went on to reveal that the date coincided with Keelan’s passing and acknowledged that it’s “hard on the family but [I’m] happy to score”.
His mum and dad, Karen and Kevin, were up in the stands; it doesn’t need explaining why scoring in that particular moment was so special for all of them.
Clearly stirred by addressing what was a bittersweet occasion, he signed off by adding, “To score and to win was brilliant.”
Keelan Daniel Grealish was just nine months old when he tragically passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) back in 2000 – ‘Super Jack’ was just four at the time.
Paying tribute on social media after the game, the comments below his post were filled with love and support.
Besides the goal itself, the former Aston Villa star was keen to reiterate that he was never brought to the club to score bags of goals and “has a lot more to offer” than just hitting the back of the net.
Touching on his Grealish’s game and the tribute to Keelan during his post-match duties, manager Pep Guardiola went on to add: “Jack is an incredible human being; in terms of gestures and for the other people, he’s incredibly generous.
“I didn’t know that [it was the anniversary of his brother’s death]. I can’t imagine how tough it could be for mum, dad, sister, and all the family. It’s good on this day to remember him, I’m pretty sure they remember every single day.”
A lovely moment from a much-loved character around the Eithad Stadium as well as up and down the country. Rest in peace, Keelan.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Three more points on the board for City and a big moment for the Brummy-born midfielder.
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
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Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ in stores for autistic and neurodiverse customers
Emily Sergeant
Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ for autistic and neurodiverse customers shopping in its stores across the UK.
Supermarket shopping isn’t always the most pleasant or manageable of experiences for everyone, especially for those who are autistic or neurodivergent – with bright lights, loud sounds, strong smells, and crowds of people making it a rather overwhelming and overstimulating atmosphere.
This is why Morrisons has decided to collaborate with the National Autistic Society to introduce dedicated ‘Sensory Support Boxes’ at its stores nationwide, as a way to both mark World Autism Acceptance Month, and help autistic and neurodivergent customers have the positive shopping experience they deserve.
These boxes have been carefully-developed in consultation with the National Autistic Society to ensure they include the most helpful items.
A range of toys like fidget balls, spinners, and squish mats can all be found inside the boxes – which will be eventually be available in all 500 Morrisons supermarkets by May – to help encourage calmness and focus.
All that customers wishing to access the items need to do is simply speak to a colleague at the customer service kiosk of their local Morrisons store.
More than one in 100 people are autistic, and there are 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.
Morrisons is introducing ‘sensory support boxes’ in stores for autistic and neurodiverse customers / Credit: Morrisons
Speaking on the decision to introduce the Sensory Support Boxes into UK stores, Joseph Clark-Bland, who is the Community Manager at Morrisons, said: “It’s a priority for us to ensure all Morrisons customers feel welcomed and understood.
“We’re proud to be leading the way in creating a more inclusive shopping environment for autistic people, their families and all neurodivergent people across the UK.
“World Autism Acceptance Month has been a key moment for Morrisons for many years, and we look forward to supporting even more customers via our new Sensory Boxes.”
The introduction of the Sensory Support Boxes comes after Morrisons first trialled a ‘Quieter Hour’ in some of its stores back in 2018, before rolling it out nationwide in 2024 due to its success and positive feedback.
Emily Sergeant -
21st December 2021 
