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.
“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.”
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.
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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Everton are reportedly already hoping to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City permanently
Danny Jones
Everton FC are reportedly already considering signing Jack Grealish on a permanent deal after an impressive start to his spell on loan from Manchester City.
The former Aston Villa talisman has struggled to remain in the starting XI under Pep Guardiola since joining the club in 2021, but since arriving on Merseyside, he’s already been a difference-maker in every match for the Toffees thus far.
Grealish has not only registered four assists in just two starts for Everton but also won the very first player of the month award in the Premier League this season for his contributions.
Safe to say he’s fast made a big impact over in Liverpool – hence why it is now thought that manager David Moyes wants to make his transfer permanent.
Becoming just the 10th Toffee to ever win the accolade, the Birmingham-born creator is now thought to be the primary transfer target, despite the summer window having only recently closed.
He writes that despite the deal between Everton and Man City already including a £50 million option to buy next summer, that number is “not fixed and is more a consequence of accounting than a set price.”
The England international still has two years on his contract in the blue half of Manchester, but the previous valuation (which is half the amount City paid for him in a then record fee for a British player), so it is believed that he could be signed for an even better cut-price offer as his deal runs down.
Put it this way, it looks like the supporters would do just about anything to keep him at the Hill Dickinson.
Jack Grealish giving his shirt to an Everton fan after their brilliant win away at Wolves today.
Bascombe goes on to explain, however, that his salary considerations could be a significant obstacle. Grealish is estimated to be earning approximately £12m a year, which is almost certainly too rich for Everton’s blood.
Taking that into account, it’d be a case of whether or not the Brummy forward would be willing to accept a much lower wage to depart the Etihad Stadium for Everton long-term; alternatively, waiting for him to become a free agent in a few transfer windows’ time would also be an option.
What about you, Blues: would you like to see Jack Grealish stay and fight for his place under Guardiola, or would you understand/support him making his Everton permanent?
Interestingly, there could be yet more shuffling of the pack in the middle of the park for Pep, as a forgotten man is apparently going to be given another chance to revive his City career…
Kalvin Phillips is reportedly set to be reintegrated into the Manchester City squad
Danny Jones
Long-exiled Manchester City player Kalvin Phillips is reportedly on the verge of being reintegrated into Pep Guardiola’s squad this season.
The ex-Leeds United star, who signed for the Blues back in 2022, has still only made just 16 appearances for the club, but could now be eyeing up a potential renaissance.
Man City have made plenty of signings this year, but with a number of outgoings and several injuries in key positions, it looks like there could be an avenue for the one-time England international to fight his way back into the team.
As per Telegraph Sport‘s Mike McGrath, Kalvin Phillips is set to be reintroduced to City’s 25-man Premier League selection; the question is, can he make it into a first-team XI?
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Kalvin Phillips has chance to resurrect career at the Etihad Stadium after failed loan spells with Ipswich and West Ham
According to McGrath, Phillips will be “given a chance to resurrect his career at the Etihad Stadium” with the meat and potatoes of the 2025/26 campaign still yet to get properly underway.
Now 29, the Yorkshireman is well and truly within the crucial ‘prime’ years as an athlete, and after such an extended period on the sidelines, he’ll be more motivated than anyone to get his career back on track.
The central defensive midfielder – who was formerly considered a key cog in the middle of the park for Leeds – has spent two loan spells away from the Etihad, but neither really worked out for the undeniably talented footballer.
Having joined West Ham for the latter portion of the 23/24 term and spending the last 12 months on loan at struggling Ipswich Town, his time at both clubs was pretty forgettable, punctuated by little more than a couple of unfortunate red cards and more time on the bench.
Speaking to Sky Sports fairly recently, he confessed that the last couple of years have been very difficult and was visibly emotional discussing his struggles since moving to Man City.
It’s also worth noting that Guardiola himself has admitted to feeling “so bad” for Kalvin Phillips’ situation – perhaps why he now looks like he could be given a second chance.
CDM-wise, Rodri and Nico González are considered the go-to options, but Stockport-born Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovačić have also been used in the role.
Once again, although Man City face somewhat of an injury crisis ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, any prolonged absences could at least see an opportunity arise for the forgotten man.
What do you make of Kalvin Phillips’ chances of being restored to the Manchester City squad and maybe even putting himself back into national team contention ahead of the World Cup?
Emily Sergeant -
21st December 2021 
