Ofcom has named the moments that brought in the most complaints during 2024 – and there were plenty of appearances for Good Morning Britain, Love Island – and even Emmerdale. The TV watchdog said it received more than 60,000 complaints but found only 40 cases of rules being broken.
There were also objections to episodes of Big Brother and ITV’s election debate Sunak vs Starmer. BBC programmes don’t feature in the list because they deal with their own complaints in the first instance, meaning the Top 10 is dominated by ITV, with one notable exception…
5. Emmerdale’s Tom injects a dog
Nothing riled up Emmerdale viewers more this year than Tom King and the horrific abuse storyline that played out for weeks. It was the episodes of 27 and 28 May that most upset soap fans, when his turned his attention on Belle’s dog, Piper.
Ofcom said: “While we recognised that this scene was an uncomfortable watch for some viewers, no graphic detail of animal abuse was shown, and Tom’s actions were not portrayed in a positive light. We also took into account that this long-running storyline depicting coercive control in a relationship would have been within audience expectations of this soap, which often tackles challenging themes and issues.”
4. XL bully row on GMB
There was an almighty row on Good Morning Britain following a debate between guests Mike Parry and Kay Taiwo about whether XL bullies – she brought one on the show – should be put down. “If it’s that dangerous it shouldn’t be allowed to mix in society,” he said, prompting 1,777 complaints.
Ofcom said: “While comments made by Mr Parry were potentially offensive to some viewers, they were met with significant challenge from dog trainer and XL Bully owner, Ms Taiwo, who put forward a strongly opposed point of view.”
3. Joey Essex on Love Island
Tension flared on Love Island this summer as Joey and Sean continually stirred up drama involving Mimii and Ayo’s relationship, with 1,832 complaining about the former Towie star’s behaviour.
Ofcom said: “We recognised that emotionally charged or confrontational scenes can upset some viewers. But, in our view, negative behaviour in the villa was not shown in a positive light, and contestants were seen supporting or apologising to each other.”
2. Ed Balls interviews his own wife on GMB
Coming a close second this year was an episode of Good Morning Britain in August which featured an interview with MP Zarah Sultana and also a moment where presenter interviewed his own wife, the home secretary Yvette Cooper.
Nearly 17,000 people complained. Ofcom said: “We reminded ITV of the need to make such relationships clear to viewers and to take particular care over the compliance of any such interviews to ensure that due impartiality is preserved.”
1. TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer
Top of the complaints chart this year was Julia Hartley-Brewer’s heated interview with Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti in January with 17,366 complaints being made.
Ofcom said: “We told TalkTV to take extra care to ensure that potentially highly offensive comments are editorially justified.” The channel is no longer broadcast on TV.
(Image: TalkTV/Youtube)
View news Source: https://www.ok.co.uk/tv/tvs-most-complained-moment-2024-34344073
