A comment made by Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh describing the Buckingham Palace balcony as “terribly white” has become the most complained about TV moment of 2023 so far, Ofcom has said. It received more than 4,000 complaints regarding the remark, which was made on ITV’s live coverage of coronation celebrations on Saturday.
The actress, 60, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury in the Netflix show, said: “Looking at all those young people, there is a bit of me that has gone from the rich diversity of the Abbey to the terribly white balcony. I’m very struck by that.” Andoh later appeared on BBC Radio 4 to clarify what she meant and apologise for her comment made on the moment Charles and Camilla appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
Andoh acknowledged the backlash she received after appearing as a guest pundit. She told radio host Paddy O’Connell on Sunday:“I think I upset a few people yesterday.
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“I was talking about the day and how marvellous it was and then looking at the balcony at the end and suddenly went, ‘Oh, it’s so white’ because the day had been so, so mixed and I didn’t mean to upset anybody.”
On Wednesday, UK regulator Ofcom said the comment received 4,165 complaints, making it the most complained about moment of the year. A spokesperson said: “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules before deciding whether or not to investigate.”
The King’s coronation service at Westminster Abbey was watched by 18.8 million viewers in the UK across 11 channels and services, according to overnight ratings released by the research organisation Barb. ITV has declined to comment.
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