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.”
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.
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
- Love Island (Casa Amor postcard) – 4,337
- Lorraine (Dr Hilary Jones’ comments about unvaccinated COVID-19 patients) – 3,769
- 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
